Mine
by emmacrade24
Summary: Izaya always claims that he can never love any individual human, but when does Izaya ever let anyone in on his real thoughts? She wasn't anything special, he knew that and yet he was completely infatuated with her. Izaya/OC rated T just in case
1. Chapter 1

**So this is just an idea i've had for a while so I figured that I'd get it out of my system. I hope you all enjoy it and please leave comments and concerns! Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Drrr**

He had, had his crimson eyes on her since their sophomore year at Raira, she was interesting for sure. But it wasn't like she was anything special, not at all. There were millions of girls in the world with the same mahogany colored hair. Thousands of people were born with green eyes. And freckled cheeks are not an uncommon characteristic. She wasn't very tall, but not very short. She wasn't stick thin, but she was small. Technically speaking she was a pretty girl, pretty enough to catch the eye but not enough to be considered gorgeous. She was a smart girl, but she wouldn't be considered a genius. No, Izaya's Nata-chan was nothing special, yet ever since he met her he had been obsessed with the idea of making her his. Forever.

**Eight years ago..**

_Natalia wasn't too worried about starting school in a new country. Ever since her family moved away from her home country of Russia when she was seven, every couple years she would be uprooted and thrust into a new country with new customs and a new language. She traveled from Russia to Spain, then almost immediately to France, then to Scotland, then to Ireland, and finally Japan. She was never good with math and sciences, but she was always very adept at languages and picked them up quickly. But even so, she chooses to speak only when necessary or when she deems her input important enough._

_Her family had moved to Ikebukuro during the summer break between freshman and sophomore year, giving her a chance to adjust to her new environment before being thrown into school. She chose to stick to herself when exploring the city, she didn't want anyone else's opinions muddling what she thought of Ikebukuro. Though she normally didn't seek out other's company, she would warmly accept those that wanted hers. Natalia did however become close with one Kishitani Shinra. He noticed her chatting with Simon outside of Russia Sushi in their native tongue and quickly became intrigued with her multilingual knowledge. So he struck up a conversation and deemed himself her official tour guide._

_The quirky boy kindly 'showed her the ropes' as he put it and helped her with her Japanese. Natalia didn't mind his zaniness, she realized that it balanced her being somewhat of an introvert. A couple weeks into their friendship Shinra introduced her to his Dullahan friend Celty, and the three of them spent the summer together. A bonus was that Shinra would also be attending Raira as well, so at least Natalia would be starting school with a friend._

_For the first few weeks of school Natalia was content. Shinra helped her with any problems she had academically, her Japanese had greatly improved, and her life was peaceful. Nothing too terrible occurred, but there was never any real excitement either. Life was balanced._

_However life has a way of throwing its inhabitants off kilter._

_During the lunch hour Shinra, Natalia, and Shizuo sat out in the courtyard, the weather was beautiful so Shinra exclaimed that the trio should switch up their boring routine of eating in the cafeteria and take a trip outside. Shizuo just grunted a response and followed after their eccentric friend and Natalia quietly trailed behind, smiling to herself that Shinra had seemingly read her mind and voiced her silent thoughts to go outside._

_While Shinra and Shizuo charged ahead, Natalia took her time walking out to the court yard, preferring to take a few minutes alone to reflect on a translation of an Emily Dickinson poem that her teacher had just given the class to annotate. She must have fallen too far behind because soon her two friends turned a corner up ahead and were no where no longer in her sights. She sighed to herself and quickened her pace hoping to catch up. Natalia was still deep in thought when she rounded the corner and slammed into someone suddenly._

_Natalia gasped, green eyes opened wide in shock and she reeled backwards. But moving backwards so quickly made her lose her footing on the slick tile and she stumbled back. She would have spilled onto the floor but an arm snaked its way around her waist and held her steady. When she realized that she was no longer falling the Russian girl slowly brought herself to look up at the person she had run into and was we met with a raven haired boy with strange reddish brown eyes smirking down at her. Blood rushed into her cheeks and she was sure that her blush was as red as a cherry. The boy chuckled at her embarrassed expression._

_"Well now, you seem to have gotten yourself into an awkward situation, ne?" The boys grin widened and leaned in closer to her face, appearing to revel in her ever reddening cheeks. She did like the look he was giving her, he looked like lion about to pounce on its prey. It was unsettling._

_"It is only awkward if you make it so." She replied, her Russian accent shining through, the boy made a mental note to find out more about where this girl came from and looked at her for a moment trying to read her. He chuckled lightly. He decided he would test her a little bit and see how long it would take for him to 'make it so'. The dark haired boy used his free hand to play with Natalia's hair. When straightened her brown hair would barely brush her shoulders, but she had naturally pin curl hair so it hung just below her chin. He gently tugged on an individual curl and took pleasure when he noticed she uncomfortably bit her lower lip. He just kept grinning._

_"You have the most pretty pink lips!" He exclaimed and got eve closer to her face, his grin stretching so far he looked like the Cheshire cat. Then he started again in a more seductive voice, "You know those are the kinda lips that I-"_

_"I am very sorry I ran into you, but if you are just trying to get a rise out of me i do not have time, I have people waiting on me." The boy was slightly surprised that this seemingly shy girl was brazen enough to call him out, but of course he would never show it. The boy smirked and slowly detached from the small girl, making sure that his hand trailed down her lower back when he released her in his last attempts to frazzle her. Then he put his hands up in surrender_

_"Don't let me keep you then miss...?"_

_"Natalia Rasputin." She told him smoothly._

_"It's a pleasure to meet you Nata-chan." He spoke in a low, husky voice. Do doubt in attempt to charm her then took her hand in his and lightly kissed the back of her hand. Natalia blushed but didn't break eye contact with the strange boy._

_"Well it's been real! I'll definitely be seeing you again." He released her hand began to skip down the hall in the direction of the cafeteria._

_"Wait!" Natalia called out remembering something important. The boy spun around with a curious look on his face and back tracked a couple steps closer to her._

_"You never said your name." He gave her small smile that looked less malicious then the previous ones he had shown her._

_"Orihara Izaya." He said proudly. She nodded and he made his way down the now empty hallway._

_When she did make it to the courtyard for lunch the two boys had stationed themselves at one of the wooden picnic tables. Shinra questioned her on what took her so long while Shizuo just sipped at his milk vaguely aware of their conversation. Natalia blushed when she recalled the odd encounter to her friend, but non the less filled him in. Shinra listened silently and took in her whole story like he was listening to a lecture in class. He was always like that though when people talked to him, he vigorously payed attention._

_"So who was this guy, do you know?" Shinra inquired._

_"He said his name was Izaya Orihara." I answered. Shinra became uncharacteristically pale and Shizuo who had been zoned out since Natalia sat down, bolted straight up out of his seat and towered over the green eyed girl._

_"Orihara. Izaya!?" He growled angrily. "You shouldn't be talking to that flea!" Natalia cringed away from her blonde friend, she knew he would never use his impressive strength against her, but it pained her to see her friend so furious and the dark aura that practically radiated from him unnerved her. Shizuo sighed when he saw her reaction and backed down a bit._

_"Izaya isn't someone that you should associate yourself with. He's a sick psychopathic monst-"_

_"Shizu-chan it isn't nice to talk about someone behind their back!" Izaya mocked in a sing-song voice with his ever present smirk on his face. Shizuo growled something incoherently and reached for wooden table that Natalia and Shinra were sitting on. Natalia was slower than Shinra to realize what Shizuo was about to do and quickly pulled Natalia away from the scene. Izaya and Shizuo had recently been at each other's throats lately and it wouldn't be safe for them to stand too closely. Natalia didn't resist Shinra and let him pull her off to the side as Shizuo chucked the table at his foe. Izaya just swiftly danced out of the way, flashing what looked like a pocket knife out of his pocket. __The two went at it for a couple minutes before noticed his new friend and waved amiably to her._

_"Oh Nata-chan long time no see! I told you we would meet up again!" The raven haired teen sent her a wink and she just stared back at him big with doe eyes as Shizuo went on a rampage._

_"IZA-YAAA!"_

Natalia didn't know what to think about her returning to Ikebukuro. After high school she had gone to college away from Tokyo to study languages. She brushed up on the other languages she knew and learned a little bit of English. And when she graduated she had already set up a job or herself as an translator for a major international clothing corporation and found a small apartment in the city. She was excited for the new chapter in her life that was about to begin, but a bit nervous to revisit an old one.

Over the years she had kept in touch with her old classmates Shinra and Shizuo, and even Celty would her an email every once in a while. No, it wasn't them she was nervous about seeing. If she could Natalia would avoid him at all costs, but she knew that was an impossible thing to hope for. He made it clear a long time ago that she was his and nothing would ever change that. Her fate was already planned out for her so to speak.

She played with the small ring on her left hand. He had told her that he picked the gem because it matched her eyes. It was a simple delicate silver band with a small emerald that rested in the center. He had made a big deal about when he gave it to her. He had drug her to Russia Sushi after graduation for a 'date' and when they were finished he took her to the middle of the street and got down on one knee and had proudly shown her his ring. To all of the observers who were giddily watching, it looked like a sweet wedding proposal with a young and in love couple. But to Natalia it wasn't as charming as it looked. He had spoke in a low voice so that no one could hear his exact words. She remembered every detail so clearly.

_"No matter where you go Natalia, I will be with you." He started, "Even if you don't realize it. No matter how many boys you date, I will be the man that you come home to. No matter what you do, you are mine and mine alone." For once he didn't have a feline grin on his face, but instead he wore a soft expression of compassion. "Since the first day I met you, you were mine. Never forget that." Then he stood up to his full height, maybe more than a head taller than her, and gently slid his ring onto her finger. He knew that she didn't love him like he loved her and he knew that she didn't completely trust that he could love just one specific human. But as long as he had claimed her, the rest could fall into play. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, lingering there for a few moments. Before he moved away, in a timid voice she ask what was she supposed to do with the ring. She felt him smile against her forehead and he murmured that she was to never take it off._

_Then he gently tilted her chin upward and boldly kissed her for the first time in front of all of Ikebukuro. It was chaste, he didn't try to pull anything, just a simple kiss on the lips. She remembered he smelt like fatty tuna, but it wasn't unpleasant. There was tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach and she chalked it off as embarrassment and shock. Sure Izaya always flirted with her and talked about how she was going to have his children and sure he would hug her and hold her hand, but never had he actually kissed her.__She was unsure of how to respond to his sudden affection so she waited patiently for him to pull away.__There were cheers and clapping form their 'audience' and Natalia's cheeks turned that lovely cheery red that he had grown to love._

Natalia was afraid to meet the man who had forced her into engagement. She could try to hide from him, but she had learned that he became an information broker and knew that she didn't stand a chance. When he wanted her, Izaya would find her.

**So what do you guys think? Hopefully it's OK! Any who please review!**


	2. Home Coming

**I figured I would continue on writing this, so here's chapter 2! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DRRR**

Stepping off of the train sent a wave of nostalgia into me. The city looked just like it did when I first arrived in Ikebukuro all those years ago. People were bustling around, completely wrapped up in their own lives; it was comforting to just be another face in the crowd again. It felt like home. I hadn't changed all that much since I left for college. My hair was still a mahogany, curly, bob style. I still wasn't much of a extrovert. And I was still wearing Izaya's ring. A troubled sigh escaped my lips as I glanced down at the delicate jewelry. It was like a blaring symbol that not much had changed. Just as he had predicted, I was coming back to him. Well I didn't come back to the city for him, I came for work, but in his eyes there wasn't a difference.

One thing that had changed though was my wardrobe. I no longer had to wear the required Raira Academy uniform. Instead a light blue, long sleeve v-neck was swapped for the bland white blouse, the pleated school skirt was traded for a pair of skinny jeans, and in place of the simple black dress shoes, leather knee length riding boots are worn.

I tightened my grip on the leather messenger bag that was strung over my shoulder and took to the streets. I had missed the hustle and bustle of the city more than I thought. College life had been quiet, and being a quiet person all the quiet was too stifling.

A small smile worked its way onto my lips. I loved to watch all the people on the busy streets. I laughed little at myself for that last thought, I had sounded a lot like Izaya, though my reasons for people watching were less cynical than his. It comforting to me to be able to see the masses of people and just blend in and let all of the chaos make up for my silence.

Everyone was busy doing their own thing. School kids were playing hooky. Mothers were out picking up groceries. Business people were taking early lunch breaks. And random civilians were just passing by without a word, easily forgotten in a moment without another thought. A sea of grey, nameless people to most, but an ocean of color to me. Each individual had a story attached to their name, and I would probably never know them. But that was OK, I didn't need to know and I didn't want to. I was content with just catching a glimpse into their world as they pass by.

A particularly interesting couple strolled past. The girl was attractive, though a bit eccentric with her royal blue and facial piercings, and the boy she was holding hands with looked completely opposite of her, he was dressed charmingly with a boy tie and everything, even had his hair styled back. They were odd but they balanced each other out well. I could tell the girl was more outgoing than her shy boyfriend and they made for a rare sight.

My eyes were still trained on their retreating forms and my thoughts were still evaluating, so it was no surprise that my inattentive self rammed into someone. It was a bad habit of mine to zone out while in deep thought and run into things or people. It has happened many times to my embarrassment. There were a couple gasps from the people around me and as I took a couple steps back to give the person I ran into some space, others began to back away as well. Their reactions didn't make any sense to me until I realized just who I had collided with.

"Who the hell do think you are! Watch where you're going why don't ya!" The familiar voice frustratingly shouted at me. I kept an amused look on my face, unfazed by the well deserved outburst, and waited. It took only a few seconds more for the enraged bartender to notice who I was.

"Oh it's you." Shizuo said bluntly, visibly relaxing and shoving his hands in his pockets. I couldn't help but giggle softly.

"You shouldn't get so angry Shizu-kun, I think there was a vein about to pop out of your head." I teased gently. That was our thing, he knows I hate how he loses control so easily and I know he hates it when I chide him about it. So I found that if I tease him, he gets the gist but it doesn't make him angrier. Shizuo smiled and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah I know." He said almost sheepishly. A man with dreads in a nice suit peered from behind my old friend with a curious look on his face and made his way closer to the two of us.

"Who's this Shizuo?" The man questioned. "Girlfriend?" He guessed. It was an honest question, it wasn't intended to embarrass but both Shizuo and I's cheeks reddened at the man's incorrect assumption. Shizuo cleared his throat and quickly explained that I was a friend from high school and that I was not in fact his girlfriend. Then he went on to introduce the dreaded man as his boss Tom Tanaka the debt collector. Tom was a nice man with a laid back demeanor, plus he was a good friend to Shizu-kun so he held high respects in my mind.

Shizuo started to ask where I was headed to and when he found out I lived near him he offered to walk me home. Apparently while I was away Ikebukuro became a hot spot for danger, of course this I already knew from communication with Shinra and the others but it must be serious if Shizu-kun is willing to take time out of his day to see me safely home. Tom told him that they didn't really have anything to do until later in the day so he let Shizuo go for a few hours.

As we started walking to my apartment Shizuo asked where all my furniture and stuff was. I told him that the apartment came furnished and that I had sent all of my clothes and personal things ahead of me with movers so it was already in my place just waiting to be unpacked. He grunted in response and the two of us fell silent. That just how it tended to be with us. Shizuo wasn't very good with small talk so he hardly started conversation and I normally chose not to talk so we just continued on without speaking, a habit that both of us were accustomed to and comfortable with. Neither one of us were really conversational, that's why we got along so well. We didn't feel pressured into feeling like we had to say something to one another in order to be by one another. It was nice.

By the time we reached my apartment it was lunch time ad seeing as I didn't have anything to eat Shizuo took off in search of a meal and left me to explore my new home. After I checked in with the complex manager and acquired my house key I trekked up to the fifth floor and stood outside my door for a few minutes. To be honest I was a little nervous to see my new place. I had secured it online and over the phone but I had never actually seen it in person. Who knows the place could be completely different from the pictures the manager sent me, it could be a dump and I just wasted a down payment on it.

I sighed and shook my head, I was really over thinking things. I slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the door. To my relief it looked exactly like it did in the pictures, with the exception of my boxes that were strewn throughout the first room. It looked like all of my things made it safely here and a further inspection proved my assumption right. I made my way into the kitchen and checked out the small space. It was quaint and comfortable, a nice area.

It all seemed to be panning out. All my things were here, the furniture was in good condition, and it was a good clean area, though a bit small I loved it non the less. However the one thing I didn't love was the unwelcome surprise that awaited for me in the bedroom. The second I opened the door, I immediately slammed it closed and frowned. I felt my cheery mood being crushed by a gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach and a lump in my throat. It took a moment or two for me to push away the uneasiness and compose myself before I opened the door again.

There he was, dark eyes glinting with amusement and smirk stretching from ear to ear. He had clearly made himself at home, for he was lounging on my bed looking as carefree as can be. My lips pulled down into an even deeper frown and I crossed my arms over my chest. It wasn't that I didn't miss him while I was gone, of course I missed him he was a close friend, despite his annoying attempts at courtship. And I knew he would find me eventually I just didn't expect it to be so soon, and I definitely don't appreciate the fact that he broke into my apartment.

"Long time no see huh Nata-chan?" He tilted his head slightly and grinned waiting for me to reply. I didn't respond right away, I was determining how to go about this. He'd be amused if I got mad. He'd take joy if I got upset about it. And he would take even more interest if I acted despondent. However I really wasn't any one of those things. I wasn't truly mad, just annoyed, and it's Izaya, he used to pull stunts like this all the time in high school. And I'm quiet, not unresponsive. So instead I gave him a smile.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" I answered his question with a question, something that I knew Izaya dislikes. He always wants his questions answered. But like always he just kept grinning. He pushed himself up and came to stand next to me, making each step slow and deliberate and he wouldn't respond until he stopped walking. The way he did this made it seem like he was the one in control of the situation, and he kind of was. Everything Izaya does is pre-planned, strategic, and purposeful so he knew how this was going to play out and all I could do is sit back and go with the flow.

When he was close enough he reached out to play with one of my curls, something he likes to do because he knows it provokes a blush out of me and no matter how many times he does it, I still blush. His grin turned into a smirk when my face starts to heat up. For once he didn't say anything for a while. His crimson eye were appearing to be do doing the exact same thing my jade ones were, we were sizing the other up, noting the changes in one's appearance. Izaya had gotten taller while I hadn't grown at all, I barely reached his shoulder now and I could tell he approved of this fact. He also wasn't as lanky as before, but he certainly wasn't as muscular as Shizuo. Other than those things he was relatively the same. I broke the silence first, I was beginning to grow uncomfortable with Izaya's wandering eyes. I had seen that look before, like he could literally engulf me with just one look.

"This coat is new." I stated lamely trying to redirect his attention. I mentally berated myself for the mundane comment. Izaya laughed loudly, let go of my hair, and twirled around in a girly manner like he was showing off his brown furred coat.

"You like it? I've had it for while." He continued to chuckle and he eyed me curiously. I'm usually not one to state the obvious or say something so senile, it was a blatant sign of my discomfort and he was relishing in it. Jerk.

He stopped spinning abruptly and the smirk left his face. It took me by surprise to see Izaya suddenly so serious. I raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior change. He took both of my hands into his and pulled me closer, close enough that our bodies were almost touching and I could feel his breath on the top of my head. Again my cheeks burned red. After a few moments of silence he rested his head on top of mine. I felt him take a deep breath almost as if he was taking my entire being in, and he sighed contently.

"I really did miss you Natalia." He murmured gently into my hair. My breath hitched in my throat and my body went rigid. He had sounded so truthful and so sincere in what he said. He's never said my full name before, he always uses that annoying pet name of his, which just reinforces his honesty in the statement. That would be the case if Izaya was a normal person though, but of course he is not. He's insane, twisted, and manipulative. So I am left to make my own assumptions as to whether or not he is truly honest in what he says.

I've been honest with myself though. Since our sophomore year I have liked Izaya, much more than I should have. I knew he was trouble and I knew that he is a dangerous man which is why I never acted on my feelings towards the crimson eyed boy. I don't trust him to be real with me. That's why I can't accept his affection easily. But I couldn't help myself to be honest with him just this once.

"I missed you too Izaya." I said in a whisper, I knew he heard me though. I already knew he was smirking even if I couldn't see his face.

**Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**


	3. His

**Hope you enjoy! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DRRR.**

Eventually Izaya got a message on his phone and took off. He told me that he'd drop by later, much to my dismay, and promptly jumped out of my bedroom window onto the fire escape, slinking off to ruin some poor person's life. I've never agreed with what Izaya does for a living, I think it's demented, but when has my opinion ever mattered to him?

Instead of having a pity party for the rest of the day, like I wanted to, I left the bedroom and decided to start unpacking what I could. I've never been much of a pack rat, most of what I brought with me were just the necessities. I started with my clothes, being the easiest to unpack because I didn't have to think about where to put them. I took my time putting my clothes away since I wasn't really in the mood to go into town anymore, Izaya had killed my good mood. I had become a complete perfectionist and by the time I had finished it was almost four o'clock.

A sigh escaped my lips. I was bored with unpacking but I still didn't want to go back into the city. I ended up leaving my apartment and wandering around the city anyway, praying that I didn't end up running into Izaya. Nothing had really changed since high school, I was still avoiding him like the plague. I wouldn't say he used to stalk me, but it was something to that effect. He would show up almost everywhere I went, and he loved to randomly turn up in my bedroom at obscure hours in the night. At first I would get angry and attempt to kick him out, but it was useless because he was stronger and more stubborn than I. During our last year at Raira was when we became really close and I started to look forward to him sneaking into my room. I even welcomed him into my home and we would talk for hours about anything and everything, sometimes we would fall asleep and he would end up spending the night. That's when I knew I was in trouble.

Shizuo never approved of Izaya and I's relationship, and frankly neither did I. But with Izaya nothing was really my choice anyway. When he wants something, nothing can stop him. I thought about finding Shizuo and telling him what Izaya was up to but I wasn't so sure myself and it wouldn't be fair to drag him into my problems. Shinra might understand but then again that crazy doctor has been rooting for Izaya and I since day one. I frowned and decided that I'd just stay by myself for a while.

I walked around aimlessly without any real destination in mind. Unlike most towns as the day began to end, more people started to appear on the streets. But they weren't the innocent civilians that were strolling around earlier in the day, they looked, for lack of a better word, sketchy. There were tons of people in yellow, no doubt Yellow Scarves gang members that Celty has been warning me about. They were grouped in large numbers by a fountain in the park I was walking though. It wasn't a reassuring sight.

I uneasily held my bag tighter to my body and began to pick up my pace when I noticed that a couple of them were staring. It wasn't a new concept to receive unwanted attention in this city considering that almost everyone was Japanese, and I am not. I narrowed my eyes when they attempted to call me over and kept walking. My heart rate picked up because the voices got louder and I heard footsteps getting closer and with a quick glance behind I realized that a few gang members had branched off from the main group and were following me.

If I had to I might be able to take on one person, maybe. I'm a petite girl and not very strong, so there was no way I could fend of the four guys that were following me. By now adrenaline was pumping through my veins and there were ridiculously terrible scenarios going through my mind. I broke out into a run, planing to lose them in the crowded streets. It might have been irrational to assume the worst, but at that moment all I could think about was getting away. They were shouting behind me and trying to get me to slow down which prompted me to go faster.

When I made it to the crowded street, I began to calm down thinking it was safer with a bunch of witness. My thinking also became clearer. I remembered something Izaya had told me years ago. I asked him how he always managed to hide from Shizuo and he said that he hides in plain sight most of the time. Since Shizuo would be looking movement to spot Izaya, he would look over him if he was standing still.

I spotted a trio of nice looking high schoolers walking on the other side of the street and dashed over to them. The blonde haired boy was holding onto a grey hoody so I knew that I could use it too blend into the crowd. Maybe hanging out with Izaya wasn't always a bad thing, he did give out good advice sometimes.

I made my way right into the middle of their small group and brashly grabbed the hooded jacket out of the blonde kid's hand and swiftly threw it on over my shirt. He seemed taken aback with his eyes as big as saucers but didn't say anything when I hooked my arm with his and huddled closer to the three of them. I noticed the girl who's hair was the same length as mine timidly stepped back a little and the other boy with blueish grey eyes took a step in front of her. I raised an eyebrow, their behavior was interesting I wouldn't have pegged them as a couple. I quickly pushed away thoughts of accessing the younger kids for the moment and focused on the thugs that were following me. I hesitantly glanced over my shoulder and saw them continuing on down the street and sighed in relief. I detangled myself from the boy and relaxed.

"Sorry about that." I said as I pulled the boy's hoody off and handed it back to him. "I was being chased so thank you for hiding me." The three shared a glance, no doubt trying to figure out how to react, when the blonde spoke up.

"No problem! Anything for a gorgeous babe such as yourself." The kid slung an arm around my shoulder and gave me a flirty smile causing my cheeks to heat up. "Who were you running from anyway?"

"Some Yellow Scares thugs." I responded. The blonde kid tensed up and removed his arm from my shoulder immediately. His playboy demeanor dropped suddenly and he turned stoic and serious. Interesting.

"Th-that's scary, those people can be very dangerous!" The blue eyed boy stuttered nervously. The girl beside him nodded in agreement while the blonde seemed to be focused on something else. That was a sudden and odd change in him.

"So why were they chasing you miss?" Blue eyes asked. I shrugged my shoulders, I honestly didn't know for sure so there was no need to make up a story. When I didn't give a verbal response we fell into a temporary silence. The girl shifted uncomfortably and crossed her arms over her chest making the well endowed girl look even bigger. The blue eyed boy noticed as well because his cheeks reddened and he struck up another conversation to divert attention.

"So, uh, what's your name?" He asked shyly.

"Natalia Rasputin. Yours?"

"Ryugamine Mikado, and this is Sonohara Anri, and Kida Masoami." Mikado gestured to his other two friends. Anri bowed politely and Masoami was still in deep thought. Mikado elbowed the other boy who snapped out of whatever daze he was in and resumed his cheery persona. I was about to call the blonde Masoami out on his lack of attention but caught myself. I'm not normally a nosy person, I don't know why I was suddenly so interested in this kid. I haven't even been around Izaya for more than a couple hours and he was already influencing me.

"It's very nice to meet all of you!" They were kind enough to let me hang out with them for while. They were nice kids, even though Masoami hit on me every chance he got I could tell he didn't mean any harm. I learned a couple things about this trio. One was that Mikado, although a shy kid at first, is very inquisitive and likes to ask questions, lots and lots of questions. Anri on the other hand is very quiet, she reminds me a lot of myself. Another thing I noticed was that Masoami has some sort of affiliation with the Yellow Scarves, every time someone in yellow would pass by he would tense up and get shifty.

I was actually enjoying myself even though I was talking with teenagers about eight years my junior. I was content in just listening and watching the trio interact with one another. I was about to chalk it up to a good day when a familiar fur trimmed coat bobbed into my line of sight. I frowned and quickly blocked myself from his vision by hiding behind Masoami who gave me a quizzical look. I waved him off and he continued on with his story about this chick he met the other day at the market that is apparently his 'soul mate'.

After a few moments Izaya didn't come popping up beside so I assumed I was in the clear. Well you know was assuming does. Izaya suddenly appeared on the other side of Masoami with that stupid smirk on his face. I quickly jumped behind Kida again hoping that Izaya hadn't seen me.

"Ah Kida-kun I haven't seen you in ages!" Izaya said dramatically. Masoami had stiffened considerably and like before he dropped his playful demeanor for a serious one.

"I saw you last week Orihara-san." Masoami responded stoically. Izaya chuckled heartily.

"No need to be so formal Kida-kun! We are good friends are we not?" Izaya chuckled again like he had just told a good joke. Masoami stumbled for a response, he didn't want to say yes because it would be a lie, but he didn't want to say no because he was afraid of Izaya's response. Kida mumbled a 'yea' which just made the informant laugh louder. Mikado watched curiously while Anri seemed to be trying to kill Izaya with her eyes. I glanced over at Izaya and found that he was already staring at me with an amused expression on his face. My face paled considerably and a curse was mumbled under my breath.

"Ah Kida-kun how nice of you to take care of my Nata-chan while I was away!" All three teens watched bewildered as Izaya made his way behind me and snaked his arms around my waist pulling me close him. My cheeks burned red and my nose scrunched up in annoyance.

"You two know each other?" Mikado asked.

"Unfortunately Izaya and I went to Raira together." I said with a grimace. Izaya faked a pout and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Ah don't be like that Nata-chan!" His voice was laced with pretend hurt.

"So you two are friends?" Mikado pressed. And at the same time I said 'yes' Izaya said 'no'. I sighed exasperatedly. What in the world was he talking about? He always insisted that we were friends and now he's denying it? I craned my neck and scowled at him, only to find that infuriating smirk.

"Which is it? Yes or no?" At that moment I no longer found Ryugamine's curiousness entertaining anymore. This was probably a reason as to why Izaya decided to come over here, Mikado-san seemed to be full of questions that Izaya just loves to answer.

"Well I guess you could call us friends," Izaya started while scratching his chin, pretending to think of a good answer, "but I don't think that would completely encompass our relationship. No maybe lover would be bet-" I harshly jabbed my elbow into his gut and glared daggers at him. He gave me an innocent look and shrugged his shoulders like he didn't see anything wrong with the statement.

The three students almost died where they stood. Was it even possible for some one to harbor those kinds of feelings for the cold hearted info broker? Was Izaya even possible of harboring those types of feelings? They all looked quite taken aback with this statement. I knew the redness in my cheeks could equally that of a strawberry's.

"We are not lovers!" I spit out trying to clear the air of what Izaya had just infected it with.

"Then what would you call us Nata-chan?" Izaya said huskily, murmuring into my neck sending a shiver down my spine. I scowled angrily at him and shoved him hard enough to push him off of me.

"I was perfectly fine with the term 'friends'!" I hissed sternly. I could see that Masoami was getting uncomfortable with this situation, Mikado was becoming for interested with each remark, and Anri, man if looks could kill. My eyes closed and I briefly yearned to be a part of the grey sea of people that were passing by. What would I give to be able to completely submerse myself in the grey. My eyes shot open revealing their jade color when I felt Izaya grab my hand. He turned it so the palm side was facing me and the back of my hand was facing the kids.

"This is how I would define our relationship!" He sounded so happy and cheery it was slightly disturbing. Mikado leaned in to get a better look at the ring on my ring finger, a look of amazement passed over his face.

"I didn't know you two were engaged Izaya-san!" Izaya pulled me close again and his laughter rumbled through his chest and it felt like it rumbled through mine as well.

"Not many people know Mikado-kun! I'm a very private man you know." I scoffed at his ridiculous claim, for heaven's sake he was an information broker! Privacy wasn't something he practiced often, if at all. Then he pulled me so tightly to him it became a little hard to breath.

"Though there is something that should be painfully obvious though. Nata-chan is _mine! _She has been ever since we met and will be until the end of time." I hate when he gets all dramatic and possessive.

"Clingy doesn't look good on you Izaya." I bit out. Izaya was preparing himself a retort when a familiar voice broke through the crowd.

"IZA-YAAAA!" Shizuo's voice roared.

Thank. God.

**Hope you liked it! Please remember to review!**


	4. Awkward

**Hope you enjoy! Remember to review!**

**I don't own Durarara!**

"Oh Shizu-chan what an unpleasant surprise!" Izaya teased. The man was visibly smirking, but he was a little pissed that Shizu-chan had interrupted his play time with the kiddies and Nata-chan, but of course he wouldn't show it. Shizuo made a 'tch' noise and the cigarette in his fingers snapped in half. He dropped in unceremoniously onto the ground and crushed it with his shoe. I could see the tell tale sign of Shizuo's anger in the vein practically popping out of his skull.

"I thought I told you to stay out of 'bukuro you flea!" Shizuo spat. Tom Tanaka shook his head and took a couple steps away as Shizu-kun ripped a street sign out of the ground. Before I could try to calm my old friend, Izaya slyly slapped his hand over my mouth and turned me around to be his human shield. I vaguely made note of the trio backing away from us like the rest of the population was doing at this moment. Izaya used to always use me as a shield because he knows that Shizuo and I are good friends, and every time it makes me want to punch that smug informant right in his face.

"Awwww but I was just visiting my Nata-chan! She's been gone for so long I just wanted to see her!" Izaya was bating him, Shizuo hates when Izaya claims me as 'his'. Shizuo narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"She. Isn't. _Yours_!" He said through ground teeth. He gave a yell and completely lost control. Shizuo charged us swinging the sign and with the force of his brute strength I was sure that he could kill us. Shizuo jumped into the air and reeled back the sign like a baseball bat. Several people in the crowd screamed in fear, and I think a scream came out of my mouth as well. I don't believe I have ever actually been afraid of Shizu-kun like I was in that moment. For a second I actually believed I was going to die.

Then suddenly I felt a sharp jerk and realized that Izaya had swiftly pulled both of us out of the way. I almost laughed at myself for getting everything backwards. I shouldn't be afraid of Shizuo, he was trying to save me from Izaya, while Izaya was the one using me to agitate my friend and use me as a human shield. My blood boiled when I remembered this.

When Izaya had gotten us about twenty feet down the street away from Shizuo I bit down hard on his hand that was still over my mouth until I could taste that warm iron liquid. I laughed inwardly as I thought _I always assumed that Izaya was cold blooded, who knew._ The crimson eyed man snatched his hand away quickly, a look of surprise passing over his features briefly I smirked at being about to surprise him for once.

Using the opportunity of him letting me go I dashed away from him and ran towards Tom who was patiently waiting off towards the side for the fight to end. Tom seemed like he was experienced with this kind of situations and knew how to stay out of the way and keep safe. I was a little rusty being as I haven't been in town in a while.

Izaya and Shizuo went at it for a few minutes, it looked almost like a well rehearsed ballet. Shizuo would charge and swing at Izaya with strong power and the smirking broker would counter with swift and agile movements and flit out of the way. I could tell Izaya was becoming annoyed and bored with this fight because his brows were furrowing in slight anxiety. Izaya is the only person I know who can feel both annoyance and boredom at the same time. So he maneuvered his way around Shizuo and to my disdain towards Tom and me.

I was already trying to shrink back into the crowd to avoid him but he was quicker than I and caught my arm. He spun me into his arms like they do in old romantic movies and dipped me down as if we were dancing. I scowled at him and attempted smack him but he caught my hand before I could make contact. It just wasn't my day. Izaya's grin grew till it stretched across his entire face.

"Izaya what are you-" I wasn't allowed to finished my sentence before that arrogant jerk's lips crashed onto mine. A small squeak of surprise popped out of my mouth when I felt Izaya traced my bottom lip with his tongue. A shiver traveled down my spine and I had a hard time telling if it was from disgust or pleasure. For sure my eyes were as wide as saucers and I could feel my cheeks heating up. He was only do it to get a rise out of Shizuo, the crowd, and myself, I knew that, but the action still caused my heart to pick up pace. I placed my hands on his chest and gave a shove to pull away from him. He gave a chuckle knowing what I was trying to do and promptly released his hold, dropping me onto the ground. I awkwardly tumbled to the ground and sat there a little put out.

"Tsk, tsk I don't have time to be fooling around naughty Nata-chan!" Izaya joked and laughed when he saw that Shizuo looked as if he could explode. The red eyed man leaned near Tom and cupped his hand around his mouth like he was telling a secret.

"She can't get enough of me!" He whispered giddily, while Tom just grunted. That was when I jumped off the ground and angrily took a wild shot at Izaya's face, but being Izaya he simply side stepped, grabbed my wrist and used my own inertia to push me into a couple of snobby looking girls who shrieked dramatically when I came close. I stumbled a little bit and when I regained my balance Izaya had already disappeared. I gave a huff of frustration and blew a curl that had fallen into my face away. Using my sleeve I hurriedly wiped my mouth, appalled that my lips still tingled.

To say the least I was stunned with what just happened. I stayed standing still where I was taking it all in until a hand found its way on my shoulder. By craning my neck I realized that it was Tom. He nervously pushed his sun glasses farther up on the bridge of his nose.

"You alright Natalia-san?" Unsure of the answer I just nodded my head dumbly. Shizuo stomped over to us with his hands stuffed inside of is pockets. He had already put his shades back on even with the sun setting. Shizuo had a couple scratched and cuts where Izaya's blade had nicked him, but overall he was OK. I smiled a little at thsis revelation. Shizuo was staring intently at me.

"Um are you OK Shizu-kun?" I already knew the answer but I wanted to hear it from him. He didn't give much of a response, only a grunt, but for him that was a yes. A breath escaped my lips that I didn't know I had been holding. I guess I was worried about Shizuo after all.

We stood there in awkward silence while the crowd dispersed, none of us wanted to talk about what just happened. I pulled at the end of my sweater occasionally and shifted my weight. I kept fidgeting until Shizuo let out an exasperated groan broke the quiet.

"So do we have any other work for today?" He grumbled.

"Nope you can go home now, I'll see tomorrow Shizuo." Tom waved and headed off to where I assume was the direction of him house. I decided to follow suit and started my walk home. I didn't even make it three steps before Shizuo had grabbed my shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow at his question.

"I was going to go home." The blonde didn't seem to like my answer because he frowned, shook his head, and took off his shades.

"I don't think that's good idea." I didn't feel like arguing with him so instead I kept quiet. Shizu-kun pulled out his cellphone and punched in a message to someone. After a few moments he got a reply and started walking in the opposite direction. I knew I was supposed to follow him without him saying anything more. I didn't recognize where we were going but I trust Shizuo so I didn't worry.

The sun had long since gone down when Shizu-kun stopped in front of a nice looking apartment complex. We rode the elevator up to one of the higher floor and Shizuo led me to the end of the hallway. For such a large place, it was very quiet. You would expect tenants to be walking around the lobby downstairs or noise coming from the inside of the apartments but it seemed almost empty. It was actually kind of peaceful.

It turns out what Shizuo thought was a 'good idea' was for me to stay the night with Shinra and Celty, well Celty was out doing errands I guess so I'd have to stick it out with the eccentric doctor. Shizuo left soon after Shinra finished cleaning up his scratches and said he'd come by tomorrow to walk me to work. I actually had almost forgotten that I had a job. Tomorrow was my first day. I mentioned to Shizu-kun that we would have to leave early because I had to pick up nicer clothes from home.

I didn't bother catching up with Shinra just yet, I wanted to wait to talk to both him and Celty at the same time so I wouldn't have to repeat myself. Shinra was nice enough to let me use his room, he said he would sleep on the couch. I teased him about why he and Celty didn't share a room and he just smiled said that she was in denial about how much she loved him. He was still in love with four years later. You had to admire the guy for his unwavering affection for the headless woman.

That's a little hypocritical though if you think about it. How I admire Shinra for his constant and never ending love for Celty while I'm horrified by Izaya feeling that same way for me. Though in my defense I'm still not completely sure if what Izaya professes to be true. I told Celty once that love is too troublesome to be worth it. She agreed with me.

**I know its shorter than my others but I wanted to get it out for you guys, I've been very busy! Thanks for reading, please review!**


	5. Flashback

**So Souls of the Blue Fire Pheonix brought up a cool point that I should do a chapter based on Izaya and Natalia so I took a short break from the main plot to write this. Soooo hope you enjoy! And thank you for the great idea S.o.t.B.F.P. and to all who have reviewed!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DRRR**

**Eight Years Ago**

"Natalia!" Shinra shouted from across the courtyard. He, Shizuo, and I had plans to go to Russia Sushi after school and Shinra seemed as impatient as ever to get there. I wasn't too thrilled at the idea of walking around the city in the middle of winter, these uniform skirts weren't exactly suited for this season, but Shinra loves to get the three of us together so I don't mind as much.

We go to Russia Sushi as least twice a week, it's more of tradition than routine. Shinra will drag us out into the city on Sunday and Friday nights for 'bonding' or something like that. Shinra knows what an odd ball group we are so he tries his hardest to have us participate in 'normal' teenage activities. Like going to see movies, eating take out together, and once he even suggested a sleep over which was quickly vetoed by Shizuo and me. Shinra tries his hardest so Shizuo and I try to go with it.

"Sorry I am late, I got held up in the science lab."

"No problem, I've heard that Haruka-sensei is a jerk! Let's just hurry I'm starving! What about you Shizu-kun?" All Shizuo did to react to Shinra's excited manor was give a 'hn' in response. Shizu-kun had become more talkative though, sure he normally opted for a short response but there were times when he would actually open up and join in conversations.

I stuck beside Shizuo while Shinra happily paced on ahead of us going on about some new surgical technique that he had heard about on the internet. He rambled on about it the whole walk. I pretty much ignored him, I know it's rude but I had gotten the gist of his story long ago. And Shizuo hardly ever listens to anything, so Shinra was all but talking to himself. But that was OK, he knew no one was listening because we never really did and he was content. I think he just talks all the time to fill the silence until we find something worth discussing.

The streets closest to Russia Sushi were always highly populated and though I normally I love to be immersed in the busy culture, it makes me little nervous at times. I'm a small girl so I easily get pushed and shoved in ever direction, my only solace was when I was with Shizu-kun because people made a point to avoid him. He let me hang on to his arm as he charged his way through the crowd.

Simon was standing outside the restaurant like always, greeting people in an accent that we both share. Simon is one of my favorite people in Japan, the obvious reason being that we are both Russian but also because he keeps Izaya and Shizuo from killing one another whenever he can. Simon is a good man, someone to be respected.

"Oh kids you eat sushi today?" Simon greeted when we got closer.

"Of course we are, it's Friday!" Shinra exclaimed throwing his hands up in air dramatically. Simon laughed heartily.

"Yes, yes how could I forget. Come, eat!" Simon showed us to our normal seats in the back of the restaurant. It was a private booth tucked away in the corner. Shizuo's presence tends to draw unwanted attention so Denis reserved us seats for Friday and Sunday nights.

We ate in relative quietness, Shinra, like always, dominated most of the conversation. Shinra and I had been assigned biology partners for a project so that's what he decided to discuss. He wanted to get the lay out for how we were going to work. Mostly he just spit balled ideas until we both agreed on something. Finally we decided that we would create an underwater ecosystem, he would perform all the intellectual stuff and he left me to the actual making of the poster board.

Shinra discussed the logistics of what all we would need for the project and I just patiently listened while munching on my meal. I glanced over at Shizu-kun and he was playing with his lighter. Over the past couple of weeks I had noticed that Shizuo had started to take to smoking. It worried me that he was picking up such an unhealthy habit. I hadn't said much about it to him, I had been hoping that he would get bored with it. He pulled out a pack out of his uniform pant pocket and lit it up. I sighed and disappointingly watched him take a long drag. I guess it didn't take him long to get used to inhaling the toxic smoke.

"Shizu-kun I wish you would not do that." I told him softly. He looked over at me with eye wide in surprise, like he didn't expect to hear my voice. His cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment and he sighed.

"It just calms me ya know?" He said in a low voice almost as if he didn't want me to hear.

"Are you angry?" The blonde shook his head and leaned back in his seat.

"Nah not really, I just feel on edge kinda."

"Well smoking is very bad for you, the effects it can have on your body is very detrimental." Shinra started to explain, "Take the lungs for example the smoke can cause cancer, it's actual really amazing when you know what's going on. You know it's not the tobacco itself that is harmful to your lungs in reality it's-" My phone buzzed in my skirt pocket diverting my attention away from the conversation. It was Izaya. Earlier in the day during health he said he had wanted to meet up later tonight but I thought he had forgotten about it.

_[Where are you?]_ His message read. I rolled my eyes at his stupid question, he knew perfectly well where I was. He asks me the same question every Friday and I always give him the same answer.

_[Like you don't know.]_

_[Ahh you are so right Nata-chan! Want to meet me outside?] _

_[Izaya I am busy, you know that.]_

_[Awwwww Nata-chan doesn't love me! ;( ]_ I sighed, he just wasn't going to let this go. He was going to beg and beg until I caved in.

_[PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASEEE EE!] _

_[Fine.] _

_[Yaaaaaaayyyyyyy!] _I rolled my eyes again. Izaya is a four year old trapped in a whiny teen's body.

"Hey guys I got to go."

"Aw are you sure? I feel like we just got here!" Shinra complained. I smiled at my kooky friend.

"Shinra-kun we have been here for two hours."

"What!? You all let me talk for that long?" Shizuo and I laughed, we didn't really let Shinra talk he just did it all on his own. I handed Shizuo money to pay for my meal and got up from the table. I pulled my jacket close to my body preparing myself for the cold. The wind had picked up a lot, it kind of stung my cheeks. Izaya had stolen my scarf earlier in the week and on days like this it made me miss it.

The red eyed boy wasn't outside like he was supposed to be, which was annoying because I was getting cold. I rubbed arms to try to keep the warmth in them and waited. Turns out I didn't have to wait to long. I jumped when Izaya poked my sides and whipped around to find him standing behind me with a wicked grin plastered on his face.

"Good you came! Let's go!" He didn't give me a chance to argue before he snaked his arm with mine and dragged me down the street. I took note that he had my plush white scarf wrapped around his neck on top of his uniform. I glared him but he only stuck his tongue out at me and quickened our pace.

The sun was getting low in the sky when we made it to his house. I don't know what I was expecting but a quaint little apartment nestled in a quiet little neighborhood was not at all where I thought Izaya would live. I knew he didn't come from a bad part of town but it would make more sense, at least he would have more of an excuse for his... odd personality.

The first thing that I noticed when Izaya opened the front door for me was the amazing smell of food and the awesome cleanliness of the house, it looked as if they had a live in maid or something with how well kept everything was. It was impressive. Izaya made a comment that his mother must have made dinner already. And like the gracious host he was he didn't bother to introduce me to any of family or offer me something to eat before dragging me up to the second story of his family's apartment and into his room. As always Izaya is classy; with a 'K'.

Izaya skipped ahead of me like a little school girl, turning around a couple times to check if I was still was following him, which I was. He seemed extra giddy right now, it was unsettling to say the least. I had learned quickly that when Izaya is all smiles, he's up to no good.

His room wasn't anything special; plain white walls with a clean sterile feel to it. His room looked almost like he didn't actually live in it. The bed was neatly made, there weren't any clothes on the floor or on the chair by the desk like my room; all his things were perfectly in place. Izaya had mentioned once that he was a bit of a clean freak. The skinny red eyed boy unwrapped my scarf from his neck and tossed it onto his bed as he walked in.

"Nata-chan can I ask you something?" Izaya asked. He had taken to lounging lazing in an arm chair by the window, his head resting on his knuckles. He was looking at me curiously, I felt bit awkward standing in his doorway, but he was sitting in the only chair in the room leaving only his bed or the floor to sit on. Neither one would make me feel more comfortable. Oh how Izaya loves to make me uncomfortable. I pulled nervously at the sleeve of my uniform jacket and shifted my weight from foot to foot.

"Sure Izaya-san." He smiled kindly and simply gestured to his bed.

"First take a seat, you make me feel like a bad host with you standing like that." I paled and an awkward laugh left my lips. Was he really expecting himself to be considered a good host? "It also puts us both on an equal playing field if we are both sitting down so to speak." He meant that it would be more respectable if we were both eye level that way neither one of us had anything above the other. When I didn't move from my spot he just waved towards the bed again. I chose against being stubborn and reluctantly sat on the edge of his bed where he had tossed my scarf. You could see on his face that he was holding back a smirk. I had the urge to sigh, but I knew that would only provoke that smirk he was trying hard to hide so I kept it in.

The way Izaya was acting; pulling me out dinner with Shinra and Shizuo, taking me to his house and into his room, and asking to ask me something, it seemed like it was all building up to some pivotal question. I couldn't help but laugh in relief when his big question was,

"Do you think in Russian?"

"That is an odd question Izaya-san." I managed when my laughter had subsided. He sat straight in his chair as if he was getting defensive, but the sparkle of curiosity was still obvious in his eyes.

"Oi, it was an honest question Nata-chan!" He jut his lower lip out in a pout, but it was all for show. The more time I spend with Izaya the more I have noticed his ability to act out false emotions. It's border line sociopathic.

"Well I normally think in Russian because I use it to help me translate Japanese along with the other languages I know." Izaya nodded his head, taking in the information. I thought he was done because he didn't speak up again for while. But apparently he was still stuck on some burning question.

"So you're saying that you use Russian as a basis for language." I nodded in agreement and so he continued on. "Do you also use Russian beliefs as a basis for your beliefs?" I mulled the question over in my head before answering. I wasn't sure where Izaya was going with all of this, so it was hard for me to give him an answer in fear of what the consequences may be.

"I'm sure I do in some ways, but I've lived in so many different countries it can be a little hard sometimes to depict which beliefs and values come from which country." Izaya met my eyes and I felt like I had just been caught in a mouse trap. For some reason that had been the exact response he had been looking for. That feeling of dread worked its way into my stomach again.

"Ah I see; you don't have a basis for what is socially acceptable then. Because in every country some things are acceptable while in a different country it is not. You don't know what is expected of you in society. And I'm sure that's very confusing for you." I opened my mouth to object, he wasn't completely off his rocker when he said those things but they were hyperbolic indeed, but he was on a roll and wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon.

"I'd like to be the one to teach you what is expected of a traditional Japanese woman." I rose an eyebrow at him. He does realize that I'm not Japanese right? "One of the obvious things being that it's uncanny for you to parade around with monsters like Shizu-chan, it's just ridiculous."

"Izaya-san, Shizuo is not a mons-"

"But back to the more important things." He easily got up from his seat and ambled towards the bed. "A woman like yourself should be treated like a queen, and she in turn should be with a king."

"Izaya what are you-"

"Nata-chan I plan to be the king of this city, this country if I can. And when that happens you will be my queen." He was staring at me with such intensity that I couldn't keep eye contact. I took a sudden interest in my skirt and anxiously played with the pleating to avoid catching those scaryily serious red eyes.

"Don't worry so much Nata-chan! That won't happen at least until college and I know how important your education is to you so I'm willing to wait." He said that last part with pure honesty and I almost looked up at him to check his face. Almost.

"Izaya-san what if I do not want to be your queen?" I asked much softer than I wanted. He scratched in chin like he was thinking for a few seconds. Then he ruffled my hair affectionately with a big smile on his face.

"Well that's what I'm here to tell you! It's expected of you to be my queen by society!" He paused and absentmindedly tugged lightly on one of my brown curls. "You know Nata-chan that look of horror on your face is kinda disheartening." I blushed deeply and started messing with the end of my jacket again, completely ignoring the fact that Izaya was messing with my fair. My face always gives away what I'm thinking. I'll have to make a mental note to work on that.

"Izaya-san I'm a little confused. When you say you I'll be your queen, do you mean that you want to...um..."

"...Marry you?" He chuckled at my slowness to grasp the situation. "Yes that's kind of what I've been implying." I made the mistake of making eye contact with him when my head shot up in surprise. My shocked green eyes met his amused reddish black ones.

"I-Izaya I...uh...we are not a couple! You are aware of that, no?" He tilted his head in confusion as if he didn't see the relevance in my statement.

"Yes I am aware." I sighed in exasperation.

"Then how do you expect me to marry you?" I practically shouted. Izaya was becoming more and more frustrating with each word that came out of his mouth.

"Because you love me." Izaya had said it so simply as if it was obvious. I groaned and ran a hand through my hair.

"No I do not Izaya. As smart as you are, you should know that." He shook his head, tossing his pitch black hair back and forth with the small movement.

"I don't think you understand. I told you that I wouldn't make you my queen until at least college when I'm in charge of this city. And when you asked why I would expect you to marry me, I said 'because you love me.' So to sum it all up, by the time I'm ready to make you my wife, you will love me." His explained.

I sat there befuddled, staring with a confused doe eyed expression at the man claiming that I will love him when I don't even know myself if I like him or not. I looked away, trying my best to stifle the deep frown that was setting in. Hugging my arms I stared at the door hoping that someone in his family would walk in and save me from this. But of course no one came.

"You know a king also needs an heir." Izaya said returning my attention to him. He wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way when I looked at him.

"I-IZAYA!" I sputtered out, shooting off the bed and stumbling several steps away from him in shock.

"Hm?" He looked at me questioningly and then realization hit his face. He burst out in a full belly laugh that I have never seen Izaya do. He laughed so hard he grabbed his sides and fell to his knees. I didn't find any humor in anything that just happened. I glared dangerously at him and angrily crossed my arms over my chest. After several minutes of listening to Izaya's cackling he calmed down enough to be able to choke out a few words.

"I didn't (gasp) mean (gasp) right now!" He chuckled some more but waited until he caught his breath to continue. "Did you honestly believe that I was going to jump you right here and now? " On the outside he had stopped laughing but his eyes were still laughing at me. My scowl hardened.

"Now I did lead you into my room and I'm sure you've learned from all the other countries you've been to that going into a boy's room is considered very scandalous." He put his hand on his hip and the other he used to wag a finger at me like he was scolding me.

"So I can see where you might have thought that." He put on a thoughtful expression. "My bad Nata-chan!" Izaya put his hands in the air for surrender and offered a big grin. I didn't respond so his cheery expression returned back his normal sarcastic one. He walked over to the side of the room where I was standing and placed a hand on my shoulder, pushing me to the wall. The lanky boy leaned in close and a wicked grin spread across his face.

"But now that it's out there, how many kids do you want? I'm thinking of a big family, we can start now if you want!"

"Iza-IZAYA!"

**Please review! I should be posting a chapter for the normal story line a few days. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Sweet Dreams

**Ok here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy! Please review.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DRRR**

Despite what I thought, I was able to sleep deeply. It was one of those things that you can feel that you haven't moved since you fell asleep. A content sigh left my lips and I slowly stretched out my limbs, sighing again with a smile on my face. I peeked an eye open and noticed that no light was streaming in behind the curtain, it was still early in the morning.

I snuggled in deeper into the plush comforter to go back to sleep when I heard a familiar sound. I stilled for a few moments straining to hear it again. There it was; a baby crying. Instinctively I dashed out of the bed and made my way towards the noise. I didn't recognize the layout of the house I was but strangely I automatically knew where I was going. There was a door right across the hall and upon going inside I saw a wooden crib placed in the center. I gingerly stepped closer and peered over the edge of the crib.

Laying inside was a small baby boy with little brunette curls in simple light blue footy pajamas. Seeing the infant warmed my insides and a smile made its way onto my face. I always found young infants to be beautiful, it was something about their pure innocence. When the babe began to cry again I reached into the crib and gently picked it up, cradling it in my arms. As soon as I had picked him up his crying stopped and he nuzzled closer to me. I gave him a soft smile and stroked his pudgy pink cheek tenderly.

He made a cute little noise and slowly opened his eyes. I gasped and almost fell to the floor. The baby giggled and the thought passed through my mind that he was laughing at me. I stared shocked at him and he looked into my eyes with such a fierce intensity that I have only ever seen in one person before. The baby was watching or more so observing me like he was taking in every detail on my face. But if the way he looked at me wasn't freaky enough, his piercing red eyes were enough to stop my heart.

I felt struck by stupidity as to why I didn't notice the similarities in the child. He had curly brown hair that was the exact same shade as mine and he had those eyes, _his _eyes. As I was about to put the baby back to bed a pair of arms wrapped themselves tightly around my waist. My body went rigid at the unexpected embrace and I possessively brought the child closer to my chest, like I was protecting him from something, someone. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. I could smell his cologne, it was always that fresh simple smell. He leaned down and set his chin on my shoulder, our faces so close his cheek was flush against mine. I was positive that he could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

I tried my best to ignore him and focused on the baby in my arms. The odd thing though, is it seemed that Izaya was doing the same thing. I took a quick peek at Izaya and he had the most loving look in his eyes that I have never seen before. The softness in his features was a unique and oddly enough, almost beautiful. It was enough to make my heart skip a beat. I got so caught up in the moment I almost missed what he said.

"What are you doing up? I thought we agreed it was my turn to check on the baby." He murmured into my ear, lips whisping over the soft lobe. With some self restraint I kept a shiver from trailing down my back. When I didn't respond he continued on.

"You know I think he looks more like you, a shame really I was hoping that he would have all of my charm and beauty." I could here the smirk in his voice like he always sound like when he's teasing. It was hard to tell though because he's a such conceded jerk he could be completely serious in what he said. But I wasn't really worried about his teasing. Ever since I woke up there was a feeling that something was off, and I ignored the obvious signs for reasons I don't know why. Suddenly I became all too aware of my situation.

* * *

I groaned as I opened my eyes, taking in the bright sunlight bleeding into the room that Shinra let me sleep in. It wasn't the first time Izaya has been in my dreams, they used to be plagued by him always popping up. Back in high school he would appear in them all the time either as just a face in the crowd or sometimes as a key figure. Even after I left I dreamed of him sometimes. But never like that, he's never been a positive aspect in my dreams as he was just then.

A frustrated sigh escaped my mouth and I rubbed my face trying to rub away the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had only been back one day and Izaya was already manipulating my subconscious mind. It had been such a lovely dream and Izaya's presence had ruined it. I've always wanted a baby boy but definitely not with Izaya.

Finally I pushed myself up onto my elbows and groggily sat on the bed. With a glance at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was only around six in the morning and must be pissed off God already because as soon as I had relaxed from the anxiety of having Izaya's unwelcome entrance into my dream, he was popping up in the real world. I gave a yelp and comically fell off the edge of the bed. Sitting silently at the foot of bed was a smirking Izaya. I must have been so into my thoughts that I didn't even seen him. I get like that a lot, where I'm so wrapped up in my thoughts that I don't focus enough on my surroundings. That's why I run into people when walking sometimes.

I felt like crawling under the bed and never coming out, I should have noticed him. I hid my face with part of the sheets that had slid off the bed when I did, trying to put as much protection in front of my reddened cheeks as I could. But of course Izaya wouldn't let me bow out of this gracefully. I heard the bed squeak and felt it shift under his weight as he crawled on the bed, no doubt closer to me.

"You're not very observant are you Nata-chan." He stated with a chuckled. I didn't bother with a response and pulled the blanket tighter over my body in attempts to continue hiding, cocooning myself in the sheets. In my defense though it was early. Izaya laughed even more and again I heard him moving around on the bed.

"Are you trying to ignore me ne-?" Again I didn't give an answer like if I didn't make a noise he would forget about me. He sighed and became silent, I almost thought he had given up. But he quickly proved me wrong when I felt myself being lifted up into the air. I hated the fact that he could man handle me without any effort, it was distressing. I brushed up against the bed and Izaya harshly dropped me down beside him. I grunted quietly as I bounced a couple times but other than that I childishly continued to stay under the protection of the blanket, refusing to open up to him. How did he even get in here? Surely Shinra wouldn't let him in and neither would Celty considering she hates him.

Izaya began to try to peel back the sheets that were covering my face but my grip tightened. After a few attempts he attempted a new approach. Instead of pulling the blanket off, he began to relentlessly tickle my sides to loosen my hold. I've always been very ticklish something I wish he had never found out. I couldn't stop myself from laughing and soon as I started I couldn't stop. My sides began to hurt and eventually I wasn't able to hold on to the blanket. Quickly my protection was striped away from me and Izaya was grinning down out me, leaving me awkwardly lying on the bed. I glared at him, while still attempting to calm myself down and stop laughing.

"Ah Nata-chan why were you hiding from me?" He faked a pout and put on his best hurt expression. I sighed and averted my eyes, it was too early in the morning to put up with his crap.

"Why are you are here?" I asked plainly.

"I asked you first Nata-chan! You can't answer my question with a question." He said smoothly with an amused look on his face. I quirked an eyebrow up delicately.

"I didn't answer you Izaya-san, I just responded with a question." The informant gave me an odd look before a mischievous smile broke across his face.

"I suppose you did." He shifted his position until he was laying on his stomach with his chin resting in both of palms, he looked like a teenage girl learning new gossip with that stupid expectant expression on his face. "How about we make a deal, you answer my question and I'll answer yours. Seem fair?" I grimaced because I hate giving him what he wants but nodded despite my reservations. Izaya gave me his obnoxious grin as he waited for my response. I rolled my eyes. He made a gesture indicating for me to respond.

"Because I don't like waking up to your unwelcome presence." I told him simply. He gave me a fake surprised look with wide eyes and his mouth slack jawed.

"So mean Nata-chan!" I rolled my eyes again and muttered a 'what ever'. He groaned theatrically flopped on to his back, moving him close enough so that our sides were touching. "But since you answered I guess I have to answer you now ne-?" He moved on to his side, holding his head up in the palm of his hand.

"Well it is a very interesting story I am glad you asked! After Shizu-chan and I's little tift," I scoffed at his 'tift' comment, " I decided that I would follow you to make sure you made it home ok." He made it sound like he was a good Samaritan and not a stalker. "And since that protozoan took to walk you home I was extra nervous about your well being, I was amazed that you made it here alive! Let alone without getting a single scratch on you! I mean I thought that you would have-"

"You're rambling Izaya." I sighed, he was annoying me with his endless story, which was exactly what he was trying to do, and I just wasn't in the mood for it. He smile again.

"Ah you're so right Nata-chan! So anyway I followed you-"

"Stalked." I corrected. Izaya rolled his eyes and waved off my comment.

"_Anyway_ you went into Shinra-kun's place so naturally I decided to follow you in."

"Naturally." I repeated dryly rolling my eyes at him for the umpteenth time that morning. I made the mistake of catching Izaya's eye and I saw a glimpse of partial annoyance flash over them, something that he didn't show often. A low growl rumbled from the back of his throat in an almost menacing way. An uneasy feeling formed in the pit of my stomach, Izaya was looking at me like a predator does his prey. I made a move to get up off the bed but instead of moving forward like I had intended I found myself pinned to the bed. It took a moment or two for me to realize that Izaya had basically tackled me and was straddling my waist along with holding my arms down making it hard to move. I had the grace to blush madly and my breath caught in my throat. He leaned down slowly and purposefully putting his stomach and chest flush against mine giving me no breathing room.

"Now Nata-chan if you keep interrupting I'll never get to finish my story." He spoke so close to my ear his lips would feather over the soft tissue. The tone in his voice was threatening almost baiting me to make a retort and normally I would have but in my current situation I was afraid of what he might do. Wasn't the point of coming to Celty and Shinra's to avoid Izaya? I was really beginning to regret returning to Ikebukuro. Izaya smirked against my neck when I chose to remain silent, the action caused goosebumps to rise on my skin in an uncomfortable way.

"As I was saying," Each word felt like he lightly kissing my neck, it was unnerving, but when I rolled my head in attempts to get his lips off of me he read the situation wrong and took it as if I was wanting more contact so he pressed his mouth harder against my neck, "you were already asleep I when came in so I decided I would wait to see you in the morning." I couldn't control a shiver, Izaya knows that I've liked him since high school and it disgusts me that he thinks he can take advantage of that whenever he wants. And he wonders why I'm mean to him.

"So you stalked me to say goodnight? But since I was already sleep you decided to wait in here 'till morning because... Izaya your story doesn't make much sense. You wanted to say goodnight so you waited until morning?" I held my breath nervously unsure of how he would react to my skepticism. He was in charge of this situation completely, I was at his mercy in whatever he decided to do. That wasn't a very happy thought. Izaya shifted his weight again so that he was no longer constricting my breathing and sat back so we could see one another's face.

"Is it so hard to believe that I just wanted to be near you?" He said with such sincerity and softness that I had no idea how to react. The expression he wore on his face reminded me all to much of the one he bore in my dream, it was a loving look to say the least. For the first time I honestly believed his words.

"I-" I started but failed to come up with a response. "Um-" It was hard to keep eye contact with his gaze, I've had no problems with holding his glares or even his infuriating smirks, but this new look was too much.

"You what? Don't mumble Nata-chan despite what you think I'm not a mind reader." He joked. At that moment he gave me the most intense look as if we were the only two people in the world, like I could say anything and he would be understanding. In that moment I wanted to confess my feelings to him although he already knew them. I wanted to be able to just stop fighting him and see where this would take me. I wanted to ride whatever ride Izaya would take me on. But I couldn't. This was Izaya and though the words were at the tip of my tongue, I wouldn't allow them to come out. I was too afraid.

Izaya could see the inner battle that was taking place in my mind and so his gaze softened. He used a hand to gently brush away a few stray curls that were messily strewn around my face, leaving his hand to cup my cheek. And in one of those unique times the crazy info broker gave me a genuine smile without an annoying smirk present.

"I know this is hard for you. You've known me for years and you know my manipulative and obviously insane side. You know I lie and you know that I take pleasure in destroying people. I've never tried to hide that from you." He sighed and began to slowly stroke my cheek with his thumb. At first thought I thought it was just an affectionate gesture but I soon realized that he was wiping away tears that had escaped. I guess my will to keep my emotions under control wasn't as strong as thought.

"I've said many times that it's impossible for me to love just one person because I love all humans. But I've made an exception for you. Natalia don't take me lightly when I say this but I really do truly have strong feelings for you." He seemed to be searching my eyes for a response but I was so taken aback with what he just said I didn't know how to react. I was almost positive that he was being real with me but I just wasn't ready to accept it, let alone tell him I felt the same. My hunger was my saving grace though. I hadn't eaten since the instant ramen I made at my dorm before I left for the over night train ride back to Ikebukuro. That was almost two days ago. My stomach made a loud growling noise alerting the two of us.

Izaya sighed and carefully lifted himself off of me. He stood up and brushed out the wrinkles in his clothes. During this whole situation I had been confused and unsure of how to react. So I stayed where I was, laying on my back dumbfounded by all that Izaya had just said. I had no fight left in me, I had been fighting Izaya for years and my resolve was diminishing. He extending his hand to me in a very gentlemanly way which I took and he slowly pulled me up into a standing position. This time though his slow movements didn't seem like a deliberate ploy like they normally do, they seemed more like he was trying to be gentle with me. I must be in a more fragile state than I thought if Izaya was on his best behavior.

I wiped away the last remnants of my tears with the sleeve of my sweater and watched Izaya retrieve my boots from by the door and bring them over. I just stared dumbly at him as he led me over to a chair and quietly told me to sit down. I complied with his request, as long as he didn't press on any hot button subjects I would be able to regain composure. I hated the fact that I cried in front of him, even if it wasn't a nasty or loud cry it was still embarrassing and disheartening.

He handed placed my shoes in front of me and sat down beside the bed. We put our shoes on in silence. I knew he was planning to take me outside because we were putting our shoes on, probably because he knows I am hungry. And now that I think about it felt like my tummy was eating itself. I really should have bothered to eat yesterday, but in my defense I did have some complications thrown my way.

As Izaya led me out of the apartment we had the unfortunate luck of running into Celty and Shinra in the living room. Izaya had taken to holding my hand as he pulled me out of the room. It was suspicious enough that Izaya and I exited a bedroom together at six thirty in the morning but Izaya's stupid smirk had returned making it even worse. I was a little glad though that he was smirking again. I knew how to handle a snarky Izaya but that serious and honest one was too much for me. Although I relaxed some when Izaya seemed to be back to normal, I was still a little tense. So when Shinra's eyes bugged out of his skull with his jaw practically on the floor and Celty nearly spilled out of her chair as she flailed awkwardly I had the strong need to pummel Izaya. I noticed I only ever get this violent around Izaya and the violence is normally aimed at him.

Izaya chuckled at them and tugged on my hand to pull me out of the door. Closing the door behind me I could hear Shinra yelling excitedly to Celty, the fool probably assumes that we got together. I grimaced at that thought.

I let Izaya lead me around for a while but soon my curiosity got the better of me and brought me out of my docile state.

"Izaya where are you taking me?" He looked down at me curiously and put his hand on his chin as if he were thinking.

"I was thinking about that little shop over in the Ishiki shopping center for breakfast."

"I have work in a couple hours, I don't have time for one of your adventures." In the past Izaya would all but kidnap me from whatever I was doing and he would take me out on these long excursions that usually ended with us running away from someone. Always in a state of perpetual trouble.

The raven haired man shook his head in silent laughter and slung an arm over my shoulder.

"You worry too much Nata-chan. I promise you'll have time to get ready and make it to your job on time." When I glared at him he only laughed again.

"I'm serious! I'll let you go after we finish our breakfast date!" A sly smile wormed its way on his as a frown set into mine.

"Izaya why are going on a date, we aren't dating." He sighed dramatically and shook his head at me.

"Nata-chan you _are_ a linguist right? Obviously if we are going on a date then we are in fact dating. It has to do with all of that verb conjugation and such? I believe that was present progressive form."

"Yes it was present progressive but it doesn't apply to us because we _aren't _dating." I was attempting to keep my composure but Izaya is the most frustrating human being on the planet. If he's even human I thought offhandedly. Though I was trying my best I could hear my annoyance slipping into my speech. I was already formulating a plan to get out of this and go home, when he decided to shoot a low blow.

"You're right we aren't dating, how thoughtless of me to say that! We're engaged that's a better term is it not?" The arm he had around my should tightened and brought me uncomfortably closer to his body, I had to place a hand on his chest to keep a safe amount of distance between us. His face hardened in a serious expression.

"If it isn't clear to you yet, I'll make it perfectly plain for you. I am the king of this city, a god practically and as promised soon, very soon I will make you my queen. Don't forget that Natalia." I stared at him with wide eyes. Of course I had never forgotten what he practically engraved into my mind. I knew I was running out of time. And as hopeless as it sounded, there probably wasn't much I could do to avoid it. A sigh left my lips and I looked down at the ground.

"Always so dramatic Izaya-san."

**Hope you liked it please review!**


	7. Don't Know

**I hope you like it, it s not my best writing though I apologize! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: i dont own DRRR**

Izaya is many things, but a liar he is not. As he had said, I was able to go back to my apartment to change and make it to work on time, early actually. The office building I was working in was only a few blocks away in a corporate district of the city. The manager in charge of international communications for this division showed me where I would be working. He gave me the low down, the normal rules, do's and dont's of the company, protocol, and things like that. Then he gave me a thick pocket and instructed me to memorize every rule inside. Not something I was quite looking forward to, but when I commit to something I try to excel in it as best I can, so if reading a bland, general rule book will help then I will.

I didn't do much on my first day of work, mostly I just sat with Minato Ukia all day as he showed me how to answer phones and emails appropriately. He was another linguist, a few years older than myself. He was a good looking guy, nice brown eyes and hair; he was like a poster child for Japanese men, if that makes sense.

It was interesting to listen to some of the people complaints and questions, some where so bizarre it made me wonder about their intelligence. There were calls from all over the world, and since I know a good handful of languages I was allowed to answer a lot of them. I stayed late after work to finish up talking to this one man from Russia. He was complaining about on of the company's products and kept demanding to talk to the manager. But my manager, Hirashi, had gone home long ago so Minato-san stayed with me until I was finally able to redirect his call to another communication division.

It was already dark by the time I left, and since Ikebukuro is an obviously dangerous place Minato offered to walk me home. I was a little surprised that he wanted to waste his time, but I agreed anyway. My initial impression of impression of him was that he was a stick in the mud businessman like most of the people at my new job. But after work he turned out to have a comedic personality, his stickler facade was only a face he put on for his job.

"So you actually _choose_ to hangout with he strongest and possibly most dangerous man in Japan? And to think I was fooled into thinking you were smart!" He teased, nudging my shoulder with his elbow. I rolled my eyes. On the way to my house we had gotten on to the subject of Shizu-kun, and he was amazed to hear that he was indeed a human.

"I am too smart! And Shizu-chan is a good person, he means well." I defended with slight pout, I hate how people never give Shizuo a chance because of his aggressive temper.

"Hey I'm just kidding! I'm sure he's a swell guy, really!" He gave me a goofy grin but managed an earnest expression.

"'Swell'? You did not just title Shizuo as a 'swell' guy." I couldn't help but laugh, of course I thought that Shizu-chan to be, uh, 'swell' but to put that word and Shizuo in the same sentence just felt weird. Minato-san laughed along with me and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah well I couldn't think of a better descriptive word." He said a little bashfully. After a few moments of walking in silence Minato cleared his throat.

"So is this Shizuo guy your boyfriend or something?"

"Wh-what!? No of course not, Shizu-chan is a good friend!" I sputtered uneloquently as my cheeks turned beat red. I awkwardly tugged at the end of my light green knee length dress that I had worn for work and avoided eye contact with Minato.

"Well that's good, because that would have made it difficult to ask you out."

"Oh." Was all I could think of to say. I couldn't find any words to put out so I settled for saying nothing. I'm terrible in these types of situations, I never know how to respond. I always get flustered and awkward. Izaya used to exploit this weakness all the time, he gets a kick out of my discomfort. He would probably be thrilled with my reaction right now...funny how I'm thinking about Izaya when another man is asking me out. Not funny haha though; funny in a sad way.

"So how about it? I'm a real catch you know." He had on another grin and was eagerly waiting for my yes. He sure is a confident kid, but not in an arrogant way like Izaya is. It was a refreshing kind of confidence. But when I thought of Izaya I unintentionally touched the ring of my left hand. I held back a sigh; I did like Minato but not the way that he likes me, and not the way I like Izaya. Why can't I go for the smart, cute, good guys instead of the the smart, cute, but a manipulative, caniving psycho.

"Minato-san I- I don't think I can." I said. His face fell a little but he was still smiling, albeit not as big as before.

"Did your Shizu-chan give you that ring?" My face warmed up at the fact that he noticed I had it on, but I shook my head. I almost wished it Shizuo had given me the ring instead of Izaya

"No, someone even crazier did." He laughed as if I told a joke. The corners of my mouth tugged upwards slightly, even though I had turned him down he was still a good natured guy.

"Do I get to know the name of your betrothed?" Minato asked. I shrugged my shoulders; no good would come of him knowing.

"Oh come, he must be someone special if you let him put a ring on your finger!"

"Wasn't really my choice." I muttered. Thankfully he didn't press any further because we had made it to my apartment so I guess he would just continue the conversation on later. At least that was what I thought was going on. But the real reason he had stopped talking was because of a leering figure that was waiting by the entrance. The dim lighting made it hard to distinguish the fine details of the person, but it was obvious who it was. Minato stepped in front of me in a protective way, kind of like he was trying to block me.

"Orihara-san what are you doing here?" My eye brows shot up in surprise. Minato-san knows Izaya?

"I'm not happy Mina-chan." Izaya answered, if I could see his face, for sure he would be scowling. Minato tensed up considerably.

"What d-do you mean? I already paid you your money." In the short amount time I have known Minato-san he has never so much as stumbled over his words. But Izaya an have this kind of effect on people' I have no idea what trouble Minato got himself into but if Izaya is involved it can't be good.

"I don't care about that. I am here on a different matter." Minato's face hardened and he stood up straighter.

"Then I suppose we will leave then." Minato turned and began to move me in the opposite direction. There was small whoosh noise and long tear formed on Minato's jacket sleeve. I gasped when I realized that Izaya had thrown one of his knives at us.

"Izaya-san!" I shouted in shock. Minato quickly glanced at me, probably wondering how I knew Izaya.

"You can leave Minato, but Nata-chan is staying with me." I didn't like the tone he was speaking in, it was terrifying. I met Minato's eyes, trying to send out a Hail Mary for him to not leave me with Izaya. But he gave me a sympathetic look and gave a respectful nod to Izaya.

"Hai, Orihiara-san." I watched in shock as the supposed 'good guy' abandoned me. For a few moments I followed Minato with my eyes as he walked away quickly. And when I turned around Izaya was already stalking towards me. His face was so cold that I took a couple steps back cautiously. Izaya didn't say anything to me as he grabbed my wrist and roughly pulled me along down the street. I gasped out in slight pain because of Izaya's vice like grip and stumbled to keep up with his fast strides. I desperately grabbed hold of my bag that had my manual inside so it wouldn't slip off my shoulder when Izaya yanked me.

"Izaya I need to go home!" I cried out, nervous of what he would do in his angry state. Izaya isn't one to normally lose his cool like this. He ignored me and kept walking on. I struggled to get my hand free, which only caused him to tightened his hold on my wrist, and the corners of my eyes stung with tears. He was seriously scaring me.

After a while Izaya had also slowed his pace, but his grip was still hurting my wrist, it would definitely bruise. I worked up the courage to speak out again, though most of my attempts so far fell on deaf ears.

"Izaya I have work tomorrow." I said timidly, but of course he didn't respond. He just held that scowl on his face and continued walking. Eventually he brought us to a tall building and drug me into an elevator and up to the presidential suite on the top floor. When he opened the door he led me inside and finally let go of wrist. I sighed in relief and gently attempted to rub the soreness out. Izaya sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. He move into a different room but I stayed where I was at the door, still anxious. He had a nice modern home, very classy and upscale. Much more fancy than my own apartment.

"Come in here." Izaya said in a tired voice when I didn't follow him. I didn't want to test him so I complied. I took off my work heels and left them in the entry way and set my bag by them. I padded into the living room, with my tights softening my steps. Izaya was stretched out on the couch laying down with his head on the arm. He watched me half lidded as I sat down in a chair across from him.

"No sit over here." He pat down on the couch next to him. I grimaced, he looked like he had calmed down considerably but that didn't mean I was going to jump at the chance to sit with him. Izaya lazily turned his head to get a better look at me. I held his gaze; his crimson eyes staring into me wide green ones. Again he tapped on the couch. Begrudgingly I shuffled over and timidly sat at the edge of the couch. Izaya put an arm around my middle and pulled me down to lay against his chest. My breath hitched in my throat and I laid rigid next to him.

"Relax Nata-chan." He said so close to back that I could feel his breath, if anything it put me farther on edge. I tried to relax as best I could though. He took a few deep, slow breaths to calm himself even more.

"I'm sorry If I scared you, I just don't like people trying to take what's mine." I didn't say anything back, it was obvious that he had followed us and snooped on our conversation. His weird possessive nature is really starting to become almost borderline obsessive.

"Maybe I should make you where something more obvious than a ring." I sighed, unhappy with the thought of him getting me some gaudy necklace or something along those lines.

"He noticed the ring Izaya, and I had turned him down anyway. There was no need for you to be so, um... aggressive." He hummed a response and lifted my wrist closer to his face. It was already started to bruise slightly, you could see the outline of his fingers beginning to set in. I frowned at my wrist.

"You're more delicate than I thought." He mumbled so softly I barely caught it; my cheeks tingled with warmth at the odd comment. They flared with uncomfortably hot heat when I noticed that Izaya had pressed his lips against my wrist.

"I'm sorry Natalia, I'll try to be more gentle with you even if I am angry." He kissed my wrist again and started to slowly pepper my arm with light kisses, beginning at my wrist and working his way up my exposed arm. I mentally chided myself for wearing a sleeveless dress but couldn't stop that butterfly feeling in the pit of my stomach though.

"You know you've been calling me Natalia a lot lately." I forced out. I was getting a little antsy with the situation.

"Mhmm." He hummed into the base of my neck sending a wave of shivers down my back.

"You never call me by my full name." I continued. I wanted him to stop, but not stop at the same time. Literally at war with myself.

"Not normally, no." He agreed before he resumed kissing my temple. I gulped uncomfortably, he's never really been this intimate. Sure maybe annoyingly flirtatious but not like this. It was almost as if he was trying to make up for his lashing out earlier, or maybe he was just trying to reinstate the fact that he has claimed me. Either way it was unnerving. So I tried to keep him talking in hopes to divert his attention.

"Why is that?" I asked my breath slowing into shallow breaths when he put his lips on my cheek.

"Why is what?" He murmured.

"Why don't you ever say my full name?" He pulled back to look me full in the face. I attempted to keep a plain face so he wouldn't notice that I was doing, but being Izaya he was probably just humoring me.

"Do you want me to call you by that?" He questioned back with an amused expression. I shrugged my shoulders as if indifferent.

"It is my real name anyway."

"Ok, I'll call you by your full name then, if that's what you want, _Natalia_." He whispered my name and quickly closed the gap between our lips, giving me no time to ask another question. I guess he was done with my game. At first I tried to pull back out of surprise but by now I had my back against the couch with nowhere to go. Izaya had placed both his arms on either side of my body, propping himself up on his elbows, trapping me. He lightly traced my bottom lip with his tongue, I gasped and he used it as an opportunity to forcibly explore my mouth. I attempted to push him back out with my own tongue but Izaya is more experienced than I so he easily overpowered me. I gave an angry grunt and felt Izaya smirked into the kiss, which only made me madder. I could feel my resolved dissipating rapidly though. My heart raced in my chest as I realized I may not be able to get out of this. I was in _his_ house with no idea how to get home, at night, in the most dangerous city in Japan. Anything could happen and I wouldn't be able to stop it.

My body started to panic; my breathing sped up and I began to struggle against him. I brought my hands in between us and pushed on his chest frantically. Izaya immediately sat up and gave me a worried look. I sat up as well and took a couple deep breaths to calm myself. I used to get panic attacks as a kid, doctors would say it was because of the constant moving. it would take me a while to adjust to new situations, I thought I had out grown them.

"You don't have to be afraid of me Natalia." He gave me a soft smile, "I've already told you I love you, what is there to be afraid of?" He gently tucked a stray curl behind my ear and cupped cheek with his hand. I wasn't sure anymore of what I was afraid of. He had confessed to loving me and he knows I love him so what was I so afraid of? I used to be able to answer no problem, but now I don't know. Izaya broke my train of thought when he wiped a tear away with his thumb. Dumbfounded that I was crying I reached up and touched my cheek.

"Izaya?"

"Yes." I wanted to say so badly that I loved him in that moment, but I couldn't get my mouth to cooperate at the moment. He already knew it, but I had never actually said it out loud.

"If you're going to call me Natalia, then I'm going call you Iza-kun." He was always bugging to stop calling him 'Izaya-san' so this was as much as I could give at the time. He grinned and kissed my forehead.

**its not my best i admit but i hope you liked it! please review!**


	8. Drugged

**Hope yall like it! I apologize for any errors, what can say.. I make mistakes lol /(-_-)\**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DRRR**

After Izaya had basically kidnapped me a few days ago, he wouldn't let me go back to apartment. I would go to work each day and so far without fail he would intercept me on my way home. And instead of walking me to _my _house like a true gentlemen he would steer me in the opposite direction and take me to his place in Shinjuku. He said that since we were 'engaged' we should do a trial run of living together to see how things would go. In reality though it was just a way for him to control my life even more than he does already. If I live with him then I won't have a safe place to escape from him. _A mad genius that one_, I thought dryly.

When ever I complained about having to wake up extra early to go back to my _real_ home to get my things Izaya would just wave of my comments. But more of my stuff began accumulating at his apartment over the past couple of days, showing up in random place. My red comb I found in the downstairs bathroom that I took to using after being stuck there. My fuzzy house slippers suddenly appeared in the guest room at Izaya's. A couple of my sweaters were in the clothes bin by the washer the other day. Even my favorite tea mug was tucked away in the glass cabinet in the kitchen yesterday. They were none too subtle hints that Izaya was dead set on me living with him. He was probably breaking in to my house every night when I fell asleep and taking my things so eventually I wouldn't have the excuse of having to leave to go back to my actual home.

Minato ignores me now. If by some chance I catch his eye, he hurriedly looks away. I can understand though, if I had escaped from Izaya's clutches I would probably avoid him and all those associated to him at all costs as well. It's still disappointing, and a little hurtful. My first work friend who seemed like a normal guy turned out to be just another one of Izaya's old pawns. Speaking of which I had come to the conclusion that Izaya had probably set up the job offer I got to work with the company because he knew Minato. It would make sense; Izaya always told me that I'd come back and sending me a great job opportunity that I couldn't refuse would surely encourage me to live in the city again. Plus he had a minion that he could use to manipulate within the work place. It at least sounds like something he would do. I wouldn't put it past him.

I don't like being treated as an object. Since I came to Ikebukuro Izaya's possessiveness has been off the charts in comparison to how he was in high school. Sure he'd get jealous when I would hang out with Shizu-chan and he was always hitting on me, but now it's just ridiculous. It's almost as if he's trying to groom me, kinda like what psychopaths do to their victims. They will repeatedly do certain things until their victims become comfortable with whatever the psycho is trying to accomplish so they stop fighting back and comply willingly. Maybe that's why he's suddenly all touchy-feely and forcing me to live with him. If he does the odd ball things that he does all the time one day I suppose I won't find anything wrong with it and just go with along. That epiphany was depressing to say least. It would be an understatement to say that I'm afraid of what all of this is leading up to. The worst part would be that I'm beginning to feel like my resistance to him is all for naught; a lost cause.

After Izaya, once again, forced me back to Shinjuku he made some excuse about having to go work and left with his secretary Namie. Leaving me alone in his apartment for the first time. Not going to lie, when it comes to Izaya I am extremely curious. He keeps his life so private it's surprising he left me to roam his home alone. I'm not interested as much in all the files he keeps with information on his clients and other people on his computer, which is undoubtedly hidden away skillfully, or on his bookshelf. Rather I'm curious as to what he keeps upstairs. I've only ever been allowed to reside in the downstairs portion where the guest bedroom that I have been staying in is at. Izaya never actually set it as a rule that I couldn't go up there but when ever I tried to he would call me back to him. He gave off the vibe that I shouldn't go up there.

I guess this was the biggest form of rebellion I had left. Even if it was just simply walking up the stairs and peeking around a bit. It took me almost thirty minutes to work up the courage to go threw with it. To be honest I half expected their to be a chamber where he keeps his torture devices and coffins, but Izaya is more of one to inflict mental and emotional pain not physical. All the same, my heart was beating fast, veins filled with adrenaline.

I was slightly disappointed to discover that the upstairs was almost a carbon copy of the downstairs. It was the same style as before, no skeletons in the closet as expected; I checked. The second floor was smaller than the first; only a small living area with a couch, coffee table, and a personal bookcase that connected to a his master bedroom and bathroom. His room was impressive, impressive in the sense that it was outlandishly grandiose. He had a huge king sized bed right in the middle made of some sort of elegant polished wood, it was similar to the one in the guest room only in a larger size. Izaya, I've noticed, has an expensive taste.

The royal purple throw blanket Izaya had draped over the bed was one of the softest I had ever felt. I ran a hand delicately across the blanket, tracing patterns with my index finger absentmindedly as I scanned over the rest of the room. There was a single wall completely made of one huge glass window that looked down on the streets below, and with the plush drapes drawn back you could see for the city outstretched for miles. It was beautiful.

Then in the opposite corner of the room was an antique looking armchair with a standing reading lamp placed beside it. It was a cute little scene, I could picture Izaya sitting there late at night reading. It was a quaint idea to think Izaya would be doing something so mundane and normal. I couldn't help but laugh a little bit at the thought. I moved away from the bed and examined yet another bookshelf. This one was still large but not nearly as big as the one in the living room or the one downstairs where they took up an entire wall. The one in his room was about half the size of the others and was still filled to the brim with books. Never once had I seen Izaya read in his home and yet he had so many books. Strange. But since when did he make any sense.

There was something odd on one of the higher shelves. It was a glass cylindrical item, but it was a little dim in the room so all I could make out was a shadowy blob in it's core. That nervousness I had felt earlier was starting to inch it's way back into the bottom of my stomach. That cylinder was giving off a creepy feel, like it was warning me to turn around and leave. But I didn't. I crept closer to whatever it was and started at it for a while, wide eyed, trying to determine if I was seeing was real or not. I knew what it _looked_ like but I couldn't be right. Izaya is insane, there's no question about it, but why on earth would he keep a decapitated head floating in a jar.

I was so shocked at what it was that I just stood there frozen. It was a woman, a beautiful one at that, a red head. She clearly wasn't Japanese, she was Caucasian. The woman looked peaceful, despite her horrific situation. It brought tears to my eyes and put a lump in my throat. Where would Izaya get a head? And why would he keep it!? Thousands of questions swam through my mind, overwhelming me all at once and making it hard to breathe. And in his bedroom as well! This was by far the most disgusting thing I have found out about Izaya. I felt like throwing up, passing out, and sobbing, while also wanting to beat Izaya senseless but never see him again. I hurriedly backed away from the shelf and bumped into the side of the bed. I froze in place. The initial shock had died down enough for me to realize something. That woman...is just a head...and...just a body...

"...Celty." I whispered bringing a hand to cover my gaping mouth. Izaya...had Celty's head! I rushed over and picked her up gently. I wasn't sure how but I was going to give Celty back her head. Sneaking it through the streets would be a hassle and it would only be a matter of time before Izaya realized I had it. I chewed on my bottom lip nervously, what would he do when he realized that I had betrayed him? No. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I wouldn't be betraying him. He would be stupid if he thought I could keep this from Celty.

"How annoying." Izaya drawled out with an irritated sigh. I squeaked in surprise and and latched onto the container tightly while spinning around to see Izaya leaning against the door frame. He had his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. He looked amused with an eyebrow quirked up but the small tipped down lips of a frown showed otherwise.

"I have to give it to her Izaya-san." I said before he could make me put her head back. I attempted to give him a hard look but as scared and nervous as I was it didn't do much.

"No." He answered simply. I frowned and the tears threatened to spill over once again. This wasn't one of my strongest moments.

"Wh-what do you mean no!?" I shouted at him holding Celty's head closer to my body protectively.

"I have a plan and for that plan to succeed I can't have you getting in the way." With each word he stepped closer to the nightstand by his bed. He opened one of the drawers and began to dig through it. While he moved to the other side of the room, I matched his steps with ones towards the door.

"Why do you want Celty's head?" I questioned, angry that he would use something so valuable to someone he knew so well without a hint of remorse. Izaya found what ever it was that he was looking for and tucked it in his sleeve turning back to me.

"I plan to wake it up." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the head. I stared blankly at him. He wanted to wake her up?

"Than why not just give it back to Celty!? That'll wake her up _very_ fast!" I practically screamed. I was beginning to panic, Izaya had started walking towards me and I wasn't in too much of a rush to find out what he had put it in his sleeve. He literally had something up his sleeve. Sometimes he was way to cliche for his own good. He gave a smile like I had said something ludicrous. The one that you give little kids when they say something stupid.

"Because for my plan to work I have to wake her up a certain way." He came within a couple steps of me. "So I can't have you running off and telling your _bestie_ about it." His tone was teasing and condescending but his eyes were what frightened me the most. For a moment they showed a flash of regret, then quickly they change to frustration, but then hardened into the cold crimson gaze that have only ever been directed at Shizuo. I was so on edge that I dashed out of the way when he reached out near me but soon realized that he wasn't trying to grab me, he had shut and locked his bedroom door.

"I doubt you'll be able to keep something like this from a friend of yours, so I won't bother to ask you to not do so." That confused me, he wasn't going to tell me to not tell Celty?

"You mean I can tell Celt-"

"No." He cut me off firmly. "I didn't say that either." I shot him a confused look.

"But you said-"

"I said I wouldn't ask you, I'm simply going to make you." My eye grew the size of saucers, what did he mean 'make' me? I stumbled backwards trying to get as much room in between us as possible, but his large room suddenly felt all too small. My breathing quicken as Izaya stalked towards me in long, swift strides. The closer he got the farther I tried to get away from him. But eventually I ran out of room and hit the wall. I grimaced and hugged Celty's had to my chest.

In a sudden moment of irrationality my body freaked out and decided that I had to get out of this situation. Now. I sprung forward and slammed into Izaya effectively knocking him of balance and tripping him up. If I wasn't so scared I would have smirked at his surprised expression. I tried to pry the door open, but forgot that Izaya had already efficiently closed off all of my escape routes. As I was about to rear back to charge the door Izaya tightly grabbed my waist and pulled me backwards so fast that I lost my grip on the cylinder and watched horrified as it hit the ground and rolled around the flooring unscathed. I didn't have time to sigh in relief before I was gasping in shock. I craned my neck and say that Izaya had jabbed me with a needle.

"Izaya!?" His eyes finally seemed to softened up, even if it was slightly.

"Like I said, I can't have you getting in the way. So you're just going to have to go to sleep for a while." He had drugged me. I could already feel my head getting foggy. It certainly was a fast working thing.

"How long?" I asked my speech slurring as I became more drowsy. My eye lids wouldn't stay open like I wanted them to, and I couldn't seem to stand on my own any more. My knees buckled underneath me, I was still coherent enough to notice Izaya slowly lower me to ground and support me as my muscle control slowly drained.

"Until you've calmed down and get off of blabbing our dirty little secret to Celty." It was getting really hard to keep my eyes open but I could still see that look of victory that flashed across his features. It baffled me but I couldn't focus enough to question it. I felt like I was being pulled underwater. My senses were being dulled by the second. Izaya kept talking to me, kinda like when a parent tells story to their child until they fall asleep, but it all sounded funny, muffled kind of. Then it became difficult to see, mostly because I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough.

I was starting to panic again. It freaks me out not being to able to control what's going on with my own body. I kept trying to move but could only manage small movements. I was extremely nervous to lose control of myself in front of Izaya, he seemed mad but pleased. Honestly I wasn't too sure anymore what he was. I started crying, mostly out fear but also frustration and sadness that I wouldn't be able to help Celty. But what really made me angry was that even though I was so incredibly angry and afraid of Izaya I still clung to him like a lifeline as the drug pulled me last thing I could make out before I completely passed out were two little words that I had thought would never pass through Izaya's lips.

"I'm sorry."

**Hope you enjoyed please leave reviews!**


	9. Awake

**I hope you like this idk if it's just crap or not but I like sooo yeah :) any way please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DRRR**

You know that feeling when you know you've had a really good rest, the kind where you hardly moved at all and you didn't dream, that's how I felt. I was still groggy from sleeping, so much so that I wasn't able to wake up completely. I couldn't get my eyes to stay focused before they were closing shut again, and I couldn't seem to get my limbs to move very much on command. It was an odd sensation, like my body was still aching with fatigue and fighting to rest while in my mind I knew I slept too long as it is. Figuring that if I waited long enough my body would start to wake up. The longer I waited though the more I began to remember what had happened.

I almost scoffed at myself when I realized that I still must be all drugged up, the reason for my body's lack of response. There wasn't enough strength lingering in me to get upset or be scared. It was strange, I knew I should be struggling to get up and run away, but I couldn't get myself to feel anything other than contemptness. It was distressing but I couldn't really do anything about my situation.

I was able to keep my eyes open long enough to take in my present environment. I was tucked in a big white comforter with a familiar deep purple blanket lying over me. It was obvious that I was in Izaya's bed. Because he would be too lazy to take me back to my own room after drugging me and he couldn't possibly move an unconscious girl through the city unnoticed...actually he probably could...and that was not a happy thought. It was still weird to be in his bed though. Izaya always told me that he'd eventually get me in it some way or another I just thought it be when he supposedly made me his 'queen'.

I groaned. He said he was going to let me sleep until I didn't want to give Celty her head, but when would I not want to help? Did he really plan to keep me here forever? I hated the feeling of being trapped. No matter how comfortable Izaya's bed was the sheets and blankets were starting to feel more like a straight jacket. A frown worked its way into my features.

"You're a real pain you know that?" Izaya said quietly. Even with my eyes closed I could assume that he sitting in the chair by the bookshelf.

"I guess this means I'll have to move my plans forward sooner than I thought." He said more to himself than to me.

"You're more trouble than your worth sometimes. But I suppose that's what makes you amusing. I just don't know what I'm going to do with you." He let out a sigh and his chair squeaked slightly indicating he shifted his weight. The way he was talking I don't think he knew I was awake, or he did and doesn't care if I hear what he's saying. That heaviness was beginning to weigh down on my mind again, the drug was trying to pull me back under. So I didn't bother to attempt to look at Izaya.

He was silent for a couple minutes, I could feel his gaze burning on my skin. It was unnerving. But I was too tired to give him a reaction. Izaya sighed again and I heard him get up from his seat. There was a light thump on the floor, I assume that Izaya tossed something on the ground. After a couple muffled steps the bed slumped to my left under Izaya's weight. The bed shifted as he made himself comfortable, jostling me slightly.

My eyes fluttered open revealing my weary green orbs momentarily when a hand gently tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. So he did know I was awake. I caught a glimpse of his face, he wore a relatively soft expression compared to his normal demeanor, but it still was scrutinizing. He looked like he was mulling something over in his mind. He tugged softly on one of my ringlets absentmindedly. I wanted to protest but again the drug was in control.

"I suppose now would be as good of a time as any to discuss our future together." He sure had good timing. Of course he would want to make life changing decisions when I can't disagree or argue with anything he says.

"I should probably clarify certain things first though. I feel like there has been miscommunication between the two of us. And that is never a good thing." Izaya stroked my head a few times like you would to sooth a child. "I want you to know every single detail of what I have planned. And I know you're annoyed with the whole being drugged thing, but you did make it necessary." Well I don't think 'annoyed' is really the right word for what I'm feeling. That's too much of an understatement.

"Anyway so I've told you time and time again that I can only love the entire human populace and not just one individual. Then I go and contradict what I had said by saying that I love you. Which is true, but it's not in the way you believe." He lost me at that point. The crimson eyed man sighed and his weight shifted around again.

"Let me start again...I love you but I'm not _in _love with you. There is a difference. The love I have for you is more of how a friend would love a friend. It's not romantic in the slightest, however you are very beautiful woman and I have no qualms about being physically attracted to you. What I am in love with however is the idea of always having a companion. I'm no fool Natalia I know that it's healthy for adult humans to interact regularly with another of the opposite gender and being the selfish man I am I crave that companionship you can provide for me. Not only that I would like a family. It sounds mundane really but I can't help but yearn for it. Human instinct and emotions are such complicated, yet simple things."

He paused in his confession, giving me some time to take it all in and process the new information. I would be lying if I said I wasn't hurt by his platonic love for me, especially since he knew of my feelings for him, but it too would be a lie if I said I wasn't surprise. At least once a week during high school Izaya would give me his spiel about not being able to love women romantically. So in the back of my mind I knew that his 'I love yous' were off. Is it weird that I'm actually relieved that he doesn't love me? I'm much more comfortable with what I know, and the Izaya I know is a cold, selfish, unlovable jerk.

I guess I hadn't moved in a while because Izaya slapped my cheeks lightly, wondering if I had drifted back to sleep. When I scrunched my nose up at him and gave a feeble attempt at swatting his hand away, he chuckled.

"Just making sure, this is important stuff so take care to listen because it's purely for your benefit that I'm giving you this information." He made it sounds like one of his business deals I thought lamely. He needed to hurry up with his little speech, not because I wasn't interested and enthralled with what he had to say, but whatever he stuck inside me was really doing it's best to sedate me once again.

"Think of our bondage together as an arranged marriage. And our marriage will be for the the same reason that royalties would have arranged marriages. It's to build a more powerful kingdom. The world is my kingdom Natalia and I am its king, but to make my reign even more powerful I need you as my queen. Eh, you know Nata-chan maybe I did pick you personally." He added thoughtfully. "The reasons I chose you above all the other girls who I could have had is because you have a different power than I do. See, my power comes from my wit; I am a very cunning, manipulative, malicious person, and any synonyms of those words. I can easily make people do what I want by forcing or tricking them to do so, whether they know I'm doing it or not. Your power is different from mine, almost like a complete opposite. Instead of using harsh means to influence people like I do, people just simply want to do what you ask of them. I've watched you for years Natalia, observed you from both afar and up close. And you just have something about you that makes people want to do right by you. It's an especially impressive if not somewhat irksome trait that you have. Even I have caught myself under your spell at one time or another."

It was becoming difficult to focus on his words; I was straining myself to listen. I wasn't sure if he was still talking anymore, if he was I couldn't hear. I think I was in that half asleep state where I was conscious but not at the same time. I couldn't concentrate on any single thought before I couldn't remember what it was I was thinking about. It felt just like it did before I passed out the first time. I knew what was about to come so I was already prepared for it.

At least I thought I was. There was a sharp prick in shoulder and slowly the fog that was plaguing my mind began to clear up. I heard myself mumble something incoherently as I began to regain control of my limbs. There was tingling in my legs and arms from being asleep too long. And the more the effects of the drug wore off the more I realized how weak I really was. Sometimes in the mornings if you try to make a fist after waking up you can't summon enough energy in your hand to do so, well that's how it felt practically everywhere. I was able to successfully open my eyes without that tired feeling, but I had to blink a few times to adjust to the light. The bed shifted and I moved my gaze to watch Izaya get off the bed and toss something in the little trash can at the edge of his bed. That reminded me of a question I had thought of earlier.

"Izaya, why do you keep injection needles in your nightstand?" I asked, my voice hadn't been used in a while so it was rough and cracked a little bit. He turned his amused crimson gaze to me and moved back on the bed, crawling over to where I was before answering.

"In case of emergencies of course, I'm not a very well liked person Natalia I have enemies who wish to do me harm. I have to be prepared." He was laying on his stomach with his hand resting on his palm, watching me with a curious expression plastered on his face.

"So am I an enemy then?" I questioned honestly, raising an eyebrow at him. He smirked at my response, clearly taking pleasure in the offense in my voice and the fact it was still a little shaky.

"No, I would say you were more of an emergency."

"How was I an emergency?" I pushed up on my elbows in attempt to bring myself to a sitting position, my muscles, however, gave out so I just flopped back on to the bed.

"You really are helpless aren't you." He smirked but helped prop me up against the head board of the bed.

"I wouldn't be so weak if you hadn't drugged me." I muttered bitterly. Izaya chuckled and settled down beside me. And instead of continuing to tease me, he dropped it all together.

"To answer your question, you were an emergency because I knew I wouldn't be able to talk you down but I was in no way going to get violent." The way he said it mad him sound like he was the hero in the situation. My eyes narrowed at him and I scoffed at him.

"Way to bring about an ultimatum." He grinned viciously at my comment, which only caused my scowl to deepen.

"You're assuming that I didn't think through all of my options Nata-chan." I huffed in frustration; he probably did consider all the options. Of course I was furious for how he handle it, but in retrospect he could have done worse than putting me to sleep. Not an excuse for doing that though. I didn't have a proper refute to his response so I ignore it.

"I thought you weren't going to call me that anymore." He gave me curious look at the topic change but surprisingly he ignore it. Izaya must be in a merciful mood if he was letting an opportunity to tease me pass, again.

"My apologies _Natalia_ I'll be more mindful next time." Izaya said with a sly smile.

"Izaya how long have I been asleep?" I asked out of the blue, fearing the answer. It had been bugging me, it felt like I had slept a really long time, surely it couldn't have been just one night. Izaya's smug face fell into an almost embarrassed expression. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and plastered a lame smile on his face.

"Uh there was actually one thing that I hadn't factored into my plan," I grimaced as he said this, "you see I had never intended to use the drug on you particularly, it was supposed to be for a person of a larger stature. But you are a very small girl and so the dosage was potent on your body than it would have been on a bigger person. It was like giving a dog a cow tranquilizer."

"...you did what!?" I yelled angrily. My fist clenched together but I held them at my sides, restraining myself from trying to strangle Izaya. He pouted and covered his ears.

"Ne~ Inside voices _Natalia_." The raven haired informant scolded. My nose scrunched up in anger; he was unbelievable! Did he really have the gall to just chide me after _he_ practically overdosed me on whatever in the world he gave me! I couldn't find the will to stop myself when reeled back and landed a hit square on his jaw.

Izaya's eyes widened grotesquely in shock and his neck snapped to side when my hand made contact. I smirked in satisfaction but rubbed my knuckled soothingly. I never figured hitting someone would hurt so much. I glanced over at Izaya and he was nursing the left side of his face. He met my gaze and I froze. I hadn't thought about the consequences, what was he going to do? I was able to release my breath when he suddenly bust out laughing. And not that fake, annoying laugh or his stupid chuckled but a sincere full out belly laugh. He laughed so hard that he doubled over on the bed and I thought he was going to fall off the edge. He laughed until there was no longer sound coming out of his mouth, only his shaking sides were the give away. It took him a few minutes before he was able to steady his breathing.

"I **cannot** believe you did that! That was the most amazing thing I've seen you do. I would kiss you right now but I'm afraid you'll hit me again." He gave out a little amused giggle and massaged his jaw.

"That made you sound like a dominatrix." I replied disgusted. Only Izaya would be amused after getting punched.

"Definitely not, I take no pleasure in pain..well my own pain any way." He said thoughtfully. I sighed, but I did feel better after seeing that look on his face when I hit him.

"Four days." I looked up at him confused. What a random thing to say. Izaya sighed theatrically and rolled his eyes.

"I was answering your question, you were asleep for four days."

"WHAT!?" I screeched. I flew out of the bed and stumbled as I reclaimed my balance and muscle control but didn't let it stop me as I dashed for the door. I briefly heard Izaya mumbled something about 'inside voices' again before he got up to follow after me. I continued to stumbled and trip while my body continued to wake up but didn't slow down in my mission. I frantically searched for my purse where I hoped my phone was. I checked all through downstairs freaking out. I had missed my new job, I was supposed to hang out with Shizuo Friday night, and Shinra and Celty the next day. What was Izaya thinking? He literally made disappear off the face of the Earth, because I highly doubt he would have told them where I was.

"Your messing up my clean house." Izaya grumbled when I rushed passed him, he had gotten an ice pack from the kitchen and was nursing his jaw. I ignored him and kept searching. Izaya sighed and moved over to his desk.

"Is this what you're looking for?" He held up my leather bag out in front of him. I quickly ran to him and snatched it out of his hand digging in the pockets for my phone.

"It's not in there." He said. I whipped around and glared daggers at him. He rolled his eyes.

"You haven't touched it in four days it had to be charged." He said simply.

"You charged my phone?" I squeaked. Izaya crossed his arms over his chest and faked a pout.

"Always a tone of surprise! It as dying so I plugged it in. No big deal." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and reached behind his desk and disconnected my phone, tossed it to me. I blushed slightly that he had been thoughtful of someone besides himself.

"Thank you Izaya." I said quietly. I opened up my phone and dropped down into the nearest chair. After my panic had cleared I was pretty tired after moving around so much, considering I had been pretty comatose for a while. When I flipped open my phone I sighed and ran a hand threw my hair. Seven missed calls and twelve texts from Shizuo; three missed calls from Shinra and sixteen texts from Celty. And another nine calls from work. I groaned and threw my phone onto the couch on the other side of the room. It was overwhelmingly stressful to see how much trouble I was in. I made the decision to put off calling everyone back and focus on something still stressful but more prevalent at the moment. Turning to Izaya it was obvious that he knew what I was thinking. There was a slight grimace in his features and he came and sat in the chair next to mine.

"Izaya what you said earlier." I started to ask him, but had to take a breath before continuing. "You said that you don't love me romantically, it's more of like a love for a good friend. I can understand that and accept it. But you lost me when you said that you want to start a family with me anyway. I mean if you don't love me in _that_ way then why would you want to get married and settle down? Your logic isn't really making any sense to me." He sighed and nodded as if knowing that I wouldn't have a problem with his feelings for me but rather on his future plans.

"It's just like you look past your personal feelings and focus on something that involves others. Can't you humor me just once and be a little bit sad that I don't return your feelings." I smiled and shook my head.

"Izaya, I'm smarter than you give me credit for. You should know better than anyone that I guard my feelings well. Now answer my question." He frowned and pouted a little bit.

"I realize that you were a little slow after being on meds for a few days but I already explained." I scowled at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Just answer my question Izaya." I said through gritted teeth.

"Fine, fine. I hate repeating myself but for you I suppose I will." I rolled my eyes. " Like most humans I have the inexplicable desire to have a life long companion, a partner in crime of sorts. I need a confidant to share my life with. And I also would like to have children, at least one. It feels weird to say that out loud but I can't help but want to create life, that's one of the most godly things that I could do is start life." I listened carefully, taking in his explanation. I could relate to what he wants because I have always wanted to have that special 'confidant' and to have children as well.

"So I see what you mean about the arranged marriage thing now. Because the marriage would benefit us both I suppose. And all power crap you were talking about was just nonsense so I won't even bother to understand your reasoning behind that. But why me? You don't love me like a husband should love a wife, so why would you pick me to marry you and bare your children?"

"потому что я доверяю тебе." (Because I trust you.) He answered in Russian.

"потому что вы доверяете мне?" (Because you trust me?) I repeated questioningly.

"да." (Yes.) He said simply. "I don't trust people to get close to me and I decided long ago to trust you. And for me to trust in the way that I do is the most open that I will most likely ever be with someone. So if it helps to ease your mind at all you are the only person that I am completely comfortable with and actually want to see happy. Though it's still amusing to see you squirm a little, I truly do want to give you the best that I can give you. So no I may not love you romantically but in my mind your my best friend and that's the extent of my affection." Through out his talk he had taken hold of both my hands and held them in between his, letting his ice pack lay on the floor. At this point I knew he wasn't lying. Izaya always got this nervous look in eyes when he talks about how he really feels on potentially awkward situations, its always really subtle and if you aren't looking for you may not see it.

"Does that answer your question?" He asked once a few moments of silence passed. I gave him a soft smile and nodded.

"Yes, it does." Izaya gave me a rare genuine smile which only made me smile more. Come to think of it, I've never seen him smile like that in front of anyone else. That was a warm and fuzzy feeling thought.

"So this leads me to my own question." He retracted his hands and placed them lamely back in his lap. "If you want I can do this the traditional way but since there isn't really anything traditional about us I don't really see a point. Natalia do you want get married?" I starred blankly at him, I knew for a long time that he was going to ask that but his timing was terrible! I felt like punching him again, but my hand still hurt from the first time.

"No."

**I used google translate for that little Russian bit so if it's incorrect I apologize, I don't speak the language so I have no clue. Hope you liked it!**


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